Highlighting the success of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) in disaster response, U.S. Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) recently encouraged federal departments to partner with his state’s Northern Plains UAS Test Site in the fight against wildfires.
Specifically, he wanted to see the site’s knowledge utilized by both the U.S. Forest Service and the Department of the Interior. He said as much to Shawna Legarza, the U.S. Forest Service’s Director for Fire Aviation and Management, and to Jeff Rupert, DOI’s Director for the Office of Wildland Fire. He requested points of contact and to curry a joint benefit: the development of further UAS applications and the enhancement of national firefighting capabilities.
“North Dakota is on the forefront of developing this technology and safely integrating it into our airspace,” Hoeven said. “Further, we have a broad range of existing partnerships with federal agencies in this area, so it only makes sense for DOI and the Forest Service to work with our test site as they seek to further incorporate unmanned aircraft into their firefighting operations. This hearing provided an opportunity to make that case to Directors Legarza and Rupert, and we look forward to working with their teams to make good use of North Dakota’s expertise in this industry.”
UAS are becoming more commonplace in federal and state operations alike. This includes firefighting, where they have made possible certain operations that manned aircraft would struggle to match. Supporters note their use for infrared mapping, as well as their ability to help perimeter control during burnout operations.