The Federal Aviation Administration has granted the Department of Natural Resources an emergency waiver to employ unmanned aerial vehicles – more commonly known as drones – in their efforts to monitor the status and spread of wildfires.
DNR has long used aircrafts to track high profile wildfires, but smoke and strong gusts of wind from larger burns can make flyovers hazardous for pilots. A UAV, however, is operated remotely and is largely unaffected by such conditions, allowing firefighters to get information on a wildfire more quickly and safely.
The UAV that DNR has at the ready – known as the “ScanEagle” – has a 10-foot wingspan, weighs about 40 pounds, and can reach a top speed of over 90 miles per hours. It is manufactured locally by Boeing subsidiary Insitu.
The waiver is timely given the ongoing crises in Eastern Washington. Lieutenant Governor Brad Owen declared a State of Emergency in the region on July 15th in response to the ongoing wildfires. The Department of Natural Resources has not said yet if they will use their new UAV capabilities to help combat the blaze, but they now have the legal ability to do so should it become necessary.