The question remains, can Drones actually help assist with fires? Recently in the media, they showcased that drones are coming in the way when it comes to fighting fires but Kevin Skrepnek, BC Cheif Wildfire Information Officer, says drones are being used in wildfire zones including Fort St. John.
The problem is that they have a bad reputation when it comes to being flown into restricted areas and even grounding wildfire helicopters.
A pilot program by an Okanagan company has started this program to determine if drones can go to inaccessible places and enhance the firefighters job. It’s too early to determine how much money or manpower the units will save.This is a continuation of a trial program that ran last year. Hopefully, by the end of this year, they will have more information regarding this situation.
It is expected that wildfire season will cost $290 million province-wide and more than 1,800 fires will be burned. That is equivalent to over 280,000 hectares of land.
