Firefighting drones in the works as wildfires plague US nearly year-round
Summary
Companies and fire agencies are testing drones that can spray water and fire retardant to help fight wildfires. These smaller drones could quickly respond to and control small fires before they grow larger, especially as wildfire seasons are lasting nearly all year in the U.S.Key Facts
- Drones used for firefighting can carry about 100 pounds of water or fire retardant each.
- They work in groups, or swarms, of 4 to 6 drones to spray fire-suppressing foam or liquids.
- CAL FIRE tested five autonomous drones that together dropped between 500 and 1,000 gallons of foam in California.
- These drones fly about 30 miles per hour and can cover a round-trip distance of 10 miles.
- The drones can be refilled and have their batteries swapped quickly, within about two minutes.
- In Alaska, a drone system connected to a network of solar-powered smoke sensors successfully detected and fought a wildfire.
- Dryad Networks developed drones that launch automatically when sensors detect a fire and spray up to 26 gallons of suppressant.
- The Aspen Fire Protection District in Colorado signed a $5 million contract for five firefighting drones over five years.
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