PORTLAND, Ore. —
Wildland firefighters could have a new tool in their arsenal as they battle increasingly extreme wildfires: high-altitude balloons.
Aerostar, a South Dakota-based company, has flown nearly a dozen balloons over wildfires in the last few years. They’ve been fitted with solar panels and heat-sensing cameras to help track the growth and spread of wildfires.
But the most recent launch from Baker City in eastern Oregon earlier this month marks a significant step forward for the company, said Mark Ketcham, senior technical program manager for Aerostar.
“What's really unique is that we're carrying an LTE payload that can beam that data directly down to firefighters that are right on the front lines of the fire,” Ketcham said. “These are highly reliable, very simple systems that work very effectively for long durations.”
The balloons, which are inflated with helium, float up to 70,000 feet above the Earth’s surface. They can stay aloft for months at a time, using ambient air to go up or down and wind currents to navigate to specific locations.
And with the addition of a communications system, the balloon can send images directly to firefighters in real time over the course of a fire, which isn’t possible using satellite imagery or pictures from fixed-wing aircraft.
“The whole system is coming together, and this is the first demonstration of that combined package,” Ketcham said.
The balloon launched from Baker City headed toward Idaho, where it has been monitoring conditions on the West Mountain Fire Complex, burning in western Idaho.
While floating above the fire, the balloon detected a new start — well before firefighters on the ground were aware — that would eventually grow into the Snag Fire.
“That was valuable information that they didn't have in any other means,” Ketcham said.
Ketcham said the company isn’t looking to replace satellite images or fixed-wing aircraft monitoring. But the kind of information gathered by the balloons, readily beamed to cell phones of firefighters on the front lines, has multiple benefits, Ketcham said.
“It not only increases safety,” he said, “but it also makes everybody more effective.”