aerial fire fighting (3)

As many of you know, fire season is in full swing in the Northern Hemisphere with devastating effect and will start up in the Southern Hemisphere soon. With that, I want to highlight how the Airborne Sensor Operator participates in this very important public safety operation.

Historically and currently, the backbone of aircrew members getting the job done is the pilot career field (both fixed wing and rotor). However, as most of us know, with the advent of new technology in our industry, more and more sensors, different type of aerial platforms, mission management systems, etc. are being employed. Along with that, ASOs are slowly becoming an important part of this industry sector.

One area of the Aerial Fire Fighting operation that requires ASO expertise is “Reconnaissance or Patrol Flights.” According to “Interagency Standards for Fire and Fire Aviation Operations” (Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management National Park Service U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Bureau of Indian Affairs, Department of Agriculture Forest Service, 2017)

     “The purpose of aerial reconnaissance or detection flights is to locate and relay
     fire information to fire management. In addition to detecting, mapping, and
     sizing up new fires, this resource may be utilized to provide ground resources
     with intelligence on fire behavior, provide recommendations to the IC when
     appropriate, and describe access routes into and out of fire areas for responding
     units. Only qualified Aerial Supervisors (ATGS, ASM, HLCO and Lead/ATCO)
     are authorized to coordinate incident airspace operations and give direction to
     aviation assets. Flights with a “Recon, Detection, or Patrol” designation should
     communicate with tactical aircraft only to announce the location, altitude and to
     relay their departure direction and altitude from the incident.”

An example of this type of mission and capability is the Colorado State PC-12 Multi Mission Aircraft. Click on the hyper link below and get a commander brief of this Capability and its role in Aerial Fire Fighting.

Colorado Multi Mission Aircraft & CO-WIMS 

Again, I just wanted to highlight or share how our profession is becoming an important member of this critical public safety team. Part 2 and 3 of this series are just referenced information you might find interesting and informative regarding Aerial Fire Fighting.

If you’re an Aerial Fire Fighter or SME and want to share more about Aerial Fire Fighting with your fellow ASOs or future Aerial Fire Fighting candidates, please let us know your thoughts on what it is like, training requirements and the future of sensor ops, both manned and unmanned.

ASOG Desk Editor

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