San Diego to upgrade fire plane camera
VIDEO: The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted to upgrade a prototype infrared camera mounted under a fire-fighting plane with a more reliable model, and to expand the system so that it becomes a permanent part of San Diego County’s aerial fire fighting capability
On 7 August, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted to upgrade a prototype infrared camera mounted under a fire-fighting plane with a more reliable model, and to expand the system so that it becomes a permanent part of San Diego County’s aerial fire fighting capability. The prototype system was installed on a CAL FIRE OV-10 Bronco in 2009 – the first of its kind in the US to be used for civilian fire fighting, said the County – under an experimental programme resulting from a partnership between CAL FIRE and the Lincoln Labs at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The heat sensing camera sees through smoke to develop a sharp image of a wildfire that shows where flames are growing, spreading, or dying down. A streaming video link and remote control allows fire managers on the ground to point the camera and direct water drops or the overall fire fighting effort.
Ron Roberts, chairman of the Board of Supervisors, explained: “The Airborne Video Camera System has shown us the potential of this new technology. Incorporating an upgraded camera as a part of our Next Generation Incident Command System will improve fire fighting, protect property and help save lives.”
The Next Generation Incident Command System – or NICS – is an Internet-based system that uses mapping and communications technology to create a real-time picture of an emergency. Locally, CAL FIRE and the County Fire Authority are using NICS to help manage their response during fires, and Roberts has helped head the technology’s adoption and plans for its expanded use.
The vote from the Board authorises County staff to negotiate a contract to upgrade the infrared camera and video link system, which is expected to cost around $198,000. Roberts noted that the new camera should be in place by October, a month that saw devastating wildfires in 2003 and 2007 amid Santa Ana winds and scorching heat.
CAL FIRE’s San Diego Unit Chief and County Fire Authority Chief Thom Porter told the Board: “The capability pushes this way beyond what we’ve been able to do in the past.”
The system will be expanded in phases, with the new camera and three video downlink and control systems for battalion chiefs on the ground expected to be in place before October. The equipment is designed to connect many users to the video, so that multiple fire managers can access real-time images of a wildfire. There are hopes that in the future, first responders, County Office of Emergency Services staff, policy makers and other stakeholders will all view the colour and infrared video via an Internet portal. To make that happen, CAL FIRE’s mobile command vehicle with need to be fitted with a video downlink and control system and a mobile relay station will be required to enhance the network connectivity of the vehicle, even in remote areas.
Images: (top) the system in use on the plane - the screen shows a wildfire in white; (above) a close-up of the camera (courtesy San Diego County)
Video: (below) a test of the system’s capability