| WRN (a non-profit public safety and education organization dedicated to facilitating local, state and national wildfire |
| suppression capability) has been quietly focusing national attention on the considerable improvements that can be made |
| to the nation's aerial wildfire fighting capability with the use of third generation night vision technology. Now available |
| commercially, as a spin-off from Night Vision Goggle (NVG) systems developed and used very successfully for the |
| military, this technology can be used as a powerful tool in the nation's aerial firefighting arsenal. |
|
| Currently the aerial wildfire fighting assets in this country, with few exceptions, do not fight wildfires at night. This is |
| unfortunate because many fires are more manageable due to lower temperatures, moderation of wind speeds, and |
| shifting of wind directions that occur as day transitions to night in a local area. |
|
| Many wildfires, including the October 2003 Cedar and Paradise fires in Southern California (responsible for 25 deaths |
| and 2420 homes destroyed) started after nightfall (5:37 PM and 1:30 AM respectively) and were raging out of control |
| for several hours before aerial assets could be deployed to stall their advance toward the homes. During the October |
| 2007 Southern California wildfire siege, nine of the 20 most significant fires began between dusk and dawn! Erickson |
| Helicopters has equipped and certified at least one of their large helicopters for night operations. |
|
| With expensive and capable aerial assets grounded and unusable for almost 50% of the time that wildfires are burning, |
| there is an unnecessary loss of critical firefighting capability. Equipping a helicopter or fixed wing air tanker with NVG |
| capability can now be achieved at a fraction of the cost of buying another tanker of the same type. By adding NVG |
| capability, aerial firefighting fleets could increase their availability by almost 100% for an increased investment of |
| less than 2% of the initial purchase price - including the cost of equipment, cockpit modifications, and the |
| required initial pilot training. |
|
| Aviation Specialties Unlimited, an aviation service company based in Boise, Idaho, is already modifying cockpits and |
| conducting FAA certified pilot training programs to provide 3rd generation capability for helicopter and fixed wing |
| operators. There are over 600 helicopter pilots currently trained and FAA certified to use 3rd generation NVG for use |
| in night operations in the United States. The cost of night vision goggles, NVG cockpit modification for a helicopter |
| or fixed wing aircraft, and pilot training is approximately 4% to 5% of the cost of a single $1.5 million home |
| ($60,000 to $75,000). |
|
| Adding NVG capability to the nation's aerial wildfire fighting fleets is an idea whose time has come. San Diego Fire |
| and Rescue and the Los Angeles County Fire Department helicopter operations, with the only fully capable night fire- |
| fighting operations in the country, are pioneering the way. Others now have two successful operational models to follow. |
| The Kern County Fire Dept. also has an active Generation III NVG EMS helicopter program. PJ Helicopters in Butte |
| County, CA has been using Generation III NVGs in their operations for over seven years for a wide scope of |
| commercial and government contract helicopter support services. |
|
