So instead of the fire being able to adapt to one single drop, we can see a real compounding ability to fight the fire. Due to the shorter circuit times required for those aircraft, and the ability to fight in a pack, instead of dropping a lot of water on a single line, we can see a smaller amount of water dropped on different responsive areas. Logistical considerations when deploying large assets and cost benefitĪnother trend that we’re seeing take shape is a trend away from putting very large air tankers like a 737 or DC10 over the top of a fire, and we're seeing more of a focus towards the smaller single engine air tankers and the type one or two helicopters.
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This specific device enables operators to automate data collection and reporting - allowing them to focus on their actual task at hand while gaining valuable data for effective decision-making. So it's plug and play for most devices that will be on aircraft already. For example, one of the additional telemetry units that we're seeing great success with in Australia is the AFDAU-T1, which is a device that is compatible with a number of tracking units already. And the challenge will be how providers can supplement and enhance what's already on board the aircraft as opposed to simply replacing it. There will be an inevitable trend towards collecting this data in New Zealand. This then leads us to be able to tell how much it costs per litre to drop the retardent, depending on different asset types, and track the effectiveness of those different response assets. So because there's so much at stake, even a fraction of a percentage of improvement on the effectiveness of firefighting has a really dramatic impact.Ĭollecting context in this sense includes: type of retardant dropped, amounts dropped, start and stop positions on a fire front, seeing where the water is picked up from, and seeing how much retardant was dropped in each particular location and by what type of asset. If you look at the US alone, where we operate quite heavily, there's nearly US$1.8 billion spent on wildfire suppression alone, not actually including the cost of the fallout of wildfires each year.
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This reporting of contextual information means that we're actually able to track the effectiveness of firefighting assets on a mass scale for the first time. But recently we are seeing an increase in the collection and reporting of context, not just location, around the world. When aerial firefighting, we know that the real-time reporting of your assets location is essential.
#AERIAL FIREFIGHTING FREE#
You can get your own free copy here today.ĭata trends: Collecting and reporting context, not just location This blog is a summary of a section within our ebook we recently published, which details our discussion with Richard 'Mac' McNamara, the National Manager of Operations and Aviation Lead for Fire and Emergency NZ (FENZ).