USE CASES - Brush Fires

Scenario Overview:
In this scenario, responders are faced with a significant brush fire in a rural area behind a farming residence. The fire threatens not only the field but also nearby crops, farmhouses, and equipment stored in barns. Responders must address challenges posed by the darkness of the night and the intensity of the fire, emphasizing the importance of utilizing air support to understand the fire's behavior.

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Scenario Details:

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Incident Location:

• The brush fire is located in a rural area behind a farming residence.
   

Initial Assessment:

• Responders received a dispatch call reporting a significant brush fire.

• Upon arrival, they encountered a large, blazing fire along the field.
   

Challenges Faced:

• The dark night and the intense brightness of the fire hinder ground units' visibility beyond the flames.

• Ground teams cannot readily identify where traveling embers are creating new fires.
   

Importance of Air Support:

• The scenario highlights the critical importance of utilizing air support to gain a better understanding of the fire's behavior and its impact on different areas.
   

Wind Conditions:

• Fortunately, winds were relatively mild during this instance.

• Acknowledge that severe winds could have significantly expanded the impact zone, posing a greater threat to nearby crops, farmhouses, and equipment stored in barns.
   

Response Actions:

1. Initial Size-Up (incident commander):

   • Assess the extent of the brush fire and its proximity to crops, farmhouses, and barns.

   • Consider the potential for ember showers and spot fires.
      

2. Resource Allocation (logistics chief):

   • Deploy firefighting units to establish containment lines and protect threatened structures.

   • Request air support to gain a better understanding of fire behavior.
      

3. Evacuation and Shelter (emergency management):

   • Prepare for possible evacuations of farmhouses and nearby residents.

   • Establish evacuation centers and coordinate with affected individuals.
      

4. Fire Suppression and Control (firefighters):

   • Use firefighting equipment and tactics to contain and suppress the fire.

   • Protect crops, farmhouses, and equipment from potential damage.
      

5. Air Support Utilization (incident commander):

   • Request aerial reconnaissance to monitor the fire's behavior and detect any new hotspots.

   • Utilize aerial firefighting resources, such as water drops or fire retardant.
      

6. Community Liaison (public information officer):

   • Communicate with affected residents and farmers to provide updates and safety instructions.

   • Address concerns and maintain transparency about response efforts.
      

Conclusion:
This brush fire scenario emphasizes the challenges faced by responders in rural areas, especially during nighttime incidents with intense flames. The use of air support is crucial for understanding fire behavior and effectively managing threats to crops, farmhouses, and equipment. Coordination and resource allocation are key elements in mitigating such incidents.
 

How could AFRS fire pilots benefit this team?

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FAA Collaboration
AFRS maintains a close relationship with the FAA, enabling rapid requests for Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) around emergency scenes. This preserves airspace for incident command operations.

Interagency Communication
Unlike private drone pilots, AFRS maintains a contract with MARCS.  Where MARCS allows your dispatch center and field staff to easily communicate with responding agencies like AFRS.
 

Rapid Response
AFRS, when in full operation, can mobilize up to four additional pilots who can arrive on the scene within approximately 30 minutes.  This is due to our strategic coverage areas and preplanning measures.
 

Enhanced Visual Capability
The AFRS video within this article shows clearly the benefits of having an eye in the sky.

Not only is the drone not blinded by the fire like the ground team, the drone can clearly see all embers and hot spots that are begging to create multiple fires outside the primary fire area.

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Thermal Imaging
AFRS's thermal imaging technology can easily see the embers and new fires that are starting to develop as well as any human field staff that may be on scene.

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Effective Public Address System
In the event this fire would have continued to spread, AFRS pilots could easily create PA speaker messages to be broadcasted from the sky.   Where this would help alert nearby owners, farm hands, and equipment operators to the approaching danger.

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All-Weather Equipment
AFRS employs enterprise-level public safety drones capable of operating in various weather conditions, including rain, snow, high winds, and freezing temperatures.

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Continuous Flight Time

Each AFRS pilot carries sufficient batteries and onboard mobile charging to maintain near-continuous flight. Quick battery swaps allow for a 45-second downtime between flights.

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Seamless Collaboration

AFRS vehicles are equipped with redundant internet connections, utilizing Firstnet and other data providers. This ensures secure streaming of content to incident command staff and stakeholders anywhere in the world.

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Documentation and Review
All drone footage is recorded for post-incident analysis. Detailed video timestamps and coordinates enable easy documentation of important milestones.
 

This data can prove to be valuable for reimbursement from insurance companies or for court purposes.

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Training Resources
Archived videos remain accessible for years after the incident. This valuable resource allows your team to incorporate real-life scenarios into future training sessions and benefits first responders worldwide.

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