CAL FIRE's Drones that Nearly Didn't Launch Now Soaring
When a photographer donated two drones to Cal Fire’s San Benito-Monterey Unit in 2021, the act of generosity launched a drone program that would break records and save lives. A team of Cal Fire drone pilots uses specialized technology to conduct prescribed burns, search for missing or injured individuals and keep emergency responders safe.
The first pair of drones came without any guarantee that a drone program would get off the ground, figuratively or literally. “We didn’t know what to do with them. We didn’t even know how to take off,” says Cal Fire San Benito-Monterey Battalion Chief Josh Silveira. Today, Cal Fire San Benito-Monterey has the largest unmanned aircraft systems program of its kind in the state, in both number of pilots and flight hours. The 12 pilots in the unit fly hundreds of hours a year and, out of the 180 pilots working for Cal Fire, account for 40% of all drone flights.
Silveira admits he initially felt reluctant to join the program. However, he left flight training eager to upgrade and implement the unit’s drone technology. “We were flying antiques at the time. They didn’t even have a thermal camera,” he says. He attended the training with Cal Fire San Benito-Monterey Battalion Chief Tommy Headley, who says his early involvement in the program allowed him to influence its development. The two Battalion Chiefs returned from the training and advocated for the program to get drones with thermal technology. “It was off to the races from there,” says Silveira.
The Carmel Highlands Fire District, Cypress Fire District and Pebble Beach Community Services District all recognize the value of the program and support it. “We’ve had so many success stories that they’re invested in multiple levels, but the biggest one is financially. They’re purchasing most of our aircraft,” says Silveira. The program has an annual operating budget of $50,000, covering costs such as aircraft purchases and maintenance.
The program now boasts 19 aircraft, ranging from drones that cost a couple hundred dollars to the team’s five $100,000 specialized drones. The fleet of flying Swiss Army knives provides the team with high-zoom and wide-angle cameras, thermal imaging, aerial ignition capabilities and 88-pound cargo capacity. These tools aid in wildfire management, search and rescue, crowd management and risk reduction for first responders.
When it comes to fighting fire, drones serve several functions. Pilots monitor thermal cameras to help crews battle wildfires through real-time fire hot spot detection. Meanwhile, high-resolution aerial mapping can identify areas of highly flammable material and complete pre- and post-fire surveys of land to inform future fire prevention efforts, including those recently conducted in the Del Monte Forest.
One of the program’s most innovative uses of drones is aerial ignition. The team uses combustible balls known as Dragon Eggs to strategically start small fires to slow the spread of larger fires, particularly in areas not safely accessible by fire crews. “We’re able to alleviate a lot of that risk using the technology,” says Silveira. Specialized drones carry up to 450 Dragon Eggs, which resemble Ping-Pong balls and ignite through a chemical reaction between potassium permanganate and glycol. The team also hosts the National Aerial Ignition Academy in the Santa Lucia reserve, providing aerial ignition training.
The drones are also critical for search and rescue, including several rescues of lost hikers at Soberanes Point and the recent efforts to locate a missing child near Big Sur. Thermal cameras offer a critical opportunity to find hikers, disoriented residents and struggling swimmers in areas with low visibility. “The thermal signature of a person in the water in distress sticks out like a sore thumb in a cold ocean,” says Silveira.
In training, pilots practice these searches by using thermal cameras to find animals, moving from deer to smaller animals as they improve their skills. Pilots also use drones to drop dye markers into the water, looking to see the direction and speed the dye spreads to estimate where someone may have drifted in the ocean. In the case of stranded or injured hikers, drones may drop a series of glow sticks to create a visual path for rescuers to follow to the hiker or deliver essential supplies to the scene.
Pilots use the aircraft to both assess potential emergencies and reduce future risk. Onboard speakers enable communication with someone who may be in danger, such as lost hikers or stranded boaters. If someone appears to be in distress, the pilots can ask them to wave if they are safe and don’t need help. If someone signals that they are fine, this means a rescue swimmer or other emergency responders aren’t unnecessarily putting themselves at risk or using resources. When rescue is needed, the drones provide real-time guidance and support from above. This is especially important for rescue swimmers. “If they are getting into dangerous situations, they have no radio,” says Silveira. “There’s no way for them to communicate, but they know that we’re in the sky watching.”
Despite the life-saving potential of the drones, some residents aren’t keen to see them. The team regularly fields calls from people concerned about drones invading their privacy. However, images are taken only when necessary, and residents can request flight records to check whether a drone they saw belonged to Cal Fire.
The program continues to grow and evolve. In the coming years, the team hopes to increase the number of pilots available daily. As for the drones, there are endless possibilities ahead. “We continue to evolve and grow as technology is always changing,” says Silveira. “We’re always finding new things to do.”
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