Infrared – Page 3 – Wildfire Today

Firefighters making more progress on the Rocky Fire

(UPDATE at 7:21 a.m. PT, August 8, 2015)

The Rocky Fire east of Clearlake, California, was quiet again on Friday. The satellite did not detect any large heat sources on the blaze that CAL FIRE is calling 69,636 acres and 62 percent contained. Many areas have been repopulated but others are still under mandatory evacuation orders.

Almost 3,000 personnel are assigned to the fire, as well as 195 engines and 84 hand crews.

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(UPDATE at 9:47 p.m. PT, August 5, 2015)

Firefighters on the Rocky Fire east of Clearlake, California had another successful day — for the second day in a row keeping the additional acres burned to less than 100. A mapping flight at 7 p.m. Wednesday determined that 37 acres were added, bringing the total to 68,924.

Today CAL FIRE updated the number of structures destroyed to 43 residences and 53 outbuildings.

Map Rocky Fire — Map of the Rocky Fire (in red) at 7 p.m. PT August 5, 2015. The green line was the perimeter the day before. (click to enlarge)

The mapping flight was earlier than usual, perhaps because one of the two USFS infrared (IR) line scanning aircraft is down for major planned maintenance, leaving a large workload for the single remaining IR ship operated by the US Forest Service. It’s an inopportune time for planned maintenance that sometimes must be done with a certain number of hours on the aircraft. But thankfully the ship carrying the load is a twin-engine jet-powered Cessna Citation that cruises at over 450 mph so it can visit many fires during its shift.

USFS IR aircraft, Cessna Citation Bravo — One of the U.S. Forest Service’s Infrared aircraft, a Cessna Citation Bravo, N144Z USFS photo.

The jet’s daily grand tour of wildfires is usually at night because there is more of a difference between the temperatures of the ground and the fire, making it easier for the fire to be detected. Just one quick pass is all that’s required of a fire that’s up to several thousand acres — more are needed for very large blazes such as the complexes of scores of scattered fires burning in northern California on the Shasta-Trinity National Forest that are scanned as one large “box”, requiring six passes on a recent night.

But back to the Rocky Fire. The weather conditions on Wednesday were warmer and drier than the day before, but they were not extreme; lets call them moderate, at least for California. And about the same is in the forecast for Thursday. Firefighters deserve kudos for limiting the spread to much, much less that we were seeing several days ago.

On the map of the fire above, only a few changes in the perimeter can be picked out (if you click on the map to enlarge it). Two are on the north side where the fire jumped across Highway 20. The other is on the southeast side.

The resources assigned to the fire include 3,483 personnel, 323 engines, 87 hand crews, 17 helicopters, and 63 dozers.

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(The article below was originally published at 10:24 a.m. PT, August 5, 2015)

On Tuesday firefighters got a temporary break from extreme weather and fire behavior on the Rocky Fire east of Clearlake, California. A small amount of rain was reported in some areas of the fire, however the Knoxville Creek weather station on the southeast side did not record any precipitation.

The fire perimeter is still virtually the same as was shown on the map we posted August 4.

There was very little additional growth of the Rocky Fire Tuesday. A total of 76 acres were added, which occurred on the north side where it spotted across Highway 20, and on the southeast side west of Highway 16. A mapping flight at 10 p.m. Tuesday updated the size to 68,886 acres.

CAL FIRE updated the number of structures destroyed to 39 residences and 52 outbuildings. They caution that the numbers may increase as damage assessment teams are able to access the burned areas.

Mandatory evacuations are still in effect for many areas, affecting about 13,000 residents. Other areas are under evacuation advisories.

The high temperature of 75 degrees Tuesday occurred at 10 a.m. and it actually dropped to 69 at 3 p.m. thanks to clouds that moved in. The relative humidity increased to 58 percent at 3 p.m. and then decreased as the sky cleared somewhat.

Conditions will change on Wednesday as the forecast predicts 89 degrees, 24 percent relative humidity, clear skies, and winds out of the east at 3 to 6 mph.

A thermal infrared camera attachment for smart phone

Seek Thermal Camera and a Motorola X smart phone. Photo by Bill Gabbert.

A thermal infrared (IR) camera that attaches to a smart phone is now available that could be useful for firefighters. The device, smaller than your thumb, connects to the USB or lightning plug on certain newer models of cell phones.

Everything (animals, humans, objects, water, etc.) emits infrared waves based on its temperature. An IR thermal camera measures these waves, which are invisible to human (or animal) eyes, and converts them into images.

We bought the new $250 Seek Thermal infrared camera to evaluate its effectiveness in helping wildland firefighters find lingering smoldering areas during the mopup stage of fire suppression. Under trees, organic material or duff can continue burning below the surface for days, weeks, or months and does not always produce smoke that can tip off a firefighter that the area needs attention. A still burning area that is missed can sometimes flare up and cause problems, possibly throwing burning embers across the fire line resulting in a slopover or spot fire with the potential to do serious damage.

Thermal cameras have traditionally been very expensive, which limited them to military and governmental applications. In the last ten years new, lower cost ($3,000-‐$5000+) industrial thermal cameras have emerged. They have been primarily used by police, firefighters, and contractors. Structural firefighters have used them to detect fires that are behind walls or ceilings. IR cameras can’t see through objects, but they can detect a wall, for example, that has been warmed by hidden combustion. A fire that is smoldering in deep duff in a wildfire will heat the surface of the ground, making it visible to an IR device.

Some of the wildland firefighters that have been around for a while might remember the thermal IR detector that looked like a flashlight. It had no viewing screen, but simply emitted a tone when heat was detected. I believe the pitch changed as the temperature increased. I don’t know if those are still being used. Does anyone remember what the cost of those was?

The Seek Thermal infrared camera can view long wave infrared (7.2 to 13 microns), has a resolution of 206 x 156 pixels, a 36-degree field of view, can detect temperatures between -40F (-40C) and +626F (+330C), and weighs 0.5 ounce.

At $200 the Seek Thermal infrared camera is far less expensive than other thermal infrared cameras. For example, FLIR makes many models of IR cameras. Their E4 has a resolution of 80 x 60 and sells for $995 at Amazon. The FLIR E5 with 120 x 90 resolution will set you back almost $1,500. The company recently developed the FLIR ONE, which like the Seek Thermal works with a smart phone, but is a much larger case-type design which fits entirely around the phone. It sells for $349, has a resolution of 80 x 60, and can only detect temperatures of 0 to 100C. The FLIR ONE will work with an iPhone with a lightning connector; there is no Android model.

The Seek Thermal is available in two versions: Android and IPhone. The Apple model is compatible with the iPhone 5, 5c, 5s, 6, and 6+ running iOS7 or iOS 8. The Android version will work with devices having microUSB connectors running Android version 4.3.1 (Jelly Bean) or later that support USB Host Mode (also called USB On The Go or OTG). The company says it has been tested extensively with the Galaxy S4 and S5 and the Moto G and X phones.

To use it, download the Seek Thermal app from the Apple app store or the Android Google Play store. I tested it on a Motorola X running Android 4.4.4. Helpfully, there were several prescribed fires being managed in Wind Cave National Park where I was able to find realistic conditions that wildland firefighters might run across.

This photo of Unit #3 of the Cold Brook prescribed fire was taken four days after the IR image below, from approximately the same location. Unlike the other pairs of images this photo was taken with a different camera at a different time than the pairs of Seek Thermal IR/smart phone combination photos farther down.

thermal IR image of prescribed fire. — An IR image of approximately the same area as the previous photo. This was taken October 23, 2014 with the Seek Thermal IR camera shortly after some of the area in the image had been ignited on the Cold Brook prescribed fire in Wind Cave National Park.

The IR image above was taken about 800 feet from the prescribed fire.

The IR camera was set to display the maximum and minimum temperatures detected. Interestingly, the minimum is in the area of the sky, showing -2 F. The maximum is displayed as 189 F.

The IR camera can be set to show the following items on the image:

Temperature in the middle of the image; (temperatures in Fahrenheit, Kelvin, or Celsius);
Maximum and minimum temperatures anywhere in the image;
Only areas that have a temperature within the min/max range that you set;
No temperatures displayed;
Lat/long;
Date and time;
Options for several different “color pallets” to represent temperatures;
A watermark for Seek Thermal, which by default is turned on, unfortunately. But, it’s easy to turn off after cruising through the menus.

In addition, you can choose to display on the screen both the IR image and a true color “normal” image taken by your phone’s camera. You can drag a slider across to emphasize either.

You can take photos, of course, with the device. If you have the option selected for both regular and IR images, it will take and save two photos. If you have the temperatures displayed, they will also appear on the regular non-IR images.

Videos are also possible, as you can see below, in this two-second thermal infrared video of firefighters near a small area of burning grass on the Cold Brook prescribed fire in Wind Cave National Park, October 23, 2014. The firefighters were from the Alpine Hotshots, preparing to ignite the prescribed fire.

More examples of images are below, showing pairs of normal photos followed by the IR version of the same area.

IR Cold Brook prescribed fire — Note the tree’s shadow, which had been shielded from the sun, and compare it to the same area in the IR version below. The photographer’s shadow on the lower-right had only been present for seconds, and had not yet affected the temperature of the ground.

Infrared

One USFS infrared aircraft possibly on season-ending Injured Reserve

One of the two U.S. Forest Service infrared line-scanning aircraft, N149Z, has a serious maintenance issue that may take it out of service for the rest of the season. If it were an NFL player, it would be called season-ending Injured Reserve.

The Beechcraft Super King Air 200 (twin-turboprop) has a problem with the right engine mounting, which has not been completely evaluated yet, so it is difficult to estimate when it will be back in the air. But it could be out for the rest of the western wildfire season.

There are presently no privately owned infrared line-scanner aircraft on call when needed status. If necessary, contract infrared services could be hired through an Emergency Equipment Rental Agreement by the local unit or the Geographic Area Coordination Center, as was done by the Lassen National Forest in 2012 on the Ponderosa Fire in northern California.

The other USFS IR plane is a twin-engine jet, N144Z, a Cessna Citation II. It continues to be in the starting lineup. Occasionally in past years they have outfitted a King Air B-90 with IR equipment.

Infrared N149Z

Southern California adds to its helicopter fleet

San Diego County will be adding a third firefighting helicopter to their fleet, implementing one of the recommendations in a report on the 14 fires that broke out in May in the northern part of the county. The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday allocated $5.2 million for another helicopter to become part of the County Sheriff’s stable of aircraft.

The Supervisors also approved contracting with the city of San Diego to use its night-flying helicopters for fighting fires or making rescues at night.

The San Diego County Sheriff’s office Astrea unit (Aerial Support to Regional Enforcement Agencies) currently operates the following helicopters:

One MD500D. This is the oldest in the fleet, the workhorse of ASTREA since the late 1980s. The “D” model will eventually be replaced with a more powerful helicopter.
Three MD500F, better suited for high altitude and high temperatures than the MD500D.
Two Bell 205 A1++, for fire and rescue
One Bell 407 equipped with a data-link antenna and associated hardware which makes it possible to pass a live video feed to ground personnel. It is also equipped with a FLIR 8500 thermal imager with laser designator.

California Infrared San Diego

NPS presents award to FLIR

FLIR award NPS — Major J. Burks, Major S. Fear, Matt Birnbaum;FLIR Director of Sales, Jenny Brooks; FLIR Mid-Atlantic Territory Manager, Major C. Guddemi and Captain S. Booker. NPS photo.

On Friday, September 5, 2014, the United Stated Park Police, a division within the National Park Service, held an awards ceremony recognizing and honoring FLIR for their dedicated service. FLIR representatives and U.S. Park Police officials gathered at the “Eagle’s Nest” located in Anacostia Park to commemorate FLIR’s contributions and continued support with Inaugural celebrations, 4th of July celebrations, and numerous special events.

U.S. Park Police’s Eagle 2 helicopter is equipped with a FLIR 8500 infrared and color sensor that provides stable thermal imaging as well as color video that assists with a range of law enforcement and rescue operations.

Pioneers in thermal imaging FLIR Systems designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and distributes technologies that enhance perception and awareness.

More articles on Fire Aviation about the NPS’ Park Police aviation unit.

FLIR Infrared Park Police

Video from Colorado’s multi-mission aircraft

Colo IR video — Screen grab from the CDFP&C IR video.

The image above is a screen grab from a video of very raw footage from the loaner multi-mission fixed wing aircraft that the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control (CDFPC) is using until the two aircraft they purchased are delivered by December 1. The video includes visual and infrared images shot from the aircraft on several missions they have been flying since it was delivered a few weeks ago.

We can’t embed the video (which was advertised by the CDFPC on Twitter) but you can see it at YouTube. Unless you really enjoy seeing an aircraft sitting on the tarmac with the prop spinning, you can skip the first minute. The title of the video indicates that it is a work in progress; there is quite a bit of duplication.

Today the Department held another press conference to introduce the aircraft.

Director Paul Cooke aircraft — Director Paul Cooke introduces the press to the CDFPC’s aircraft, September 15, 2014. The IR aricraft (the Pilatus PC-12) on the right, and a contract Single Engine Air Tanker on the left can be seen. CDFP&C photo.

Colorado's PC-12 — The design for the paint scheme on Colorado’s PC-12. CDFPC photo.

Colorado Infrared Pilatus PC-12

Gazette articles about firefighting technology in Colorado

Ryan Maye Handy, who has written for Wildfire Today, has crafted three articles for the Colorado Springs Gazette about advances in wildfire management technology that the state of Colorado is adopting. One is about the PC-12 fixed wing aircraft (which we have covered at Fire Aviation) that the state is purchasing. Another focuses on the inability to find, for many hours, the reported smoke that later developed into the disastrous Waldo Canyon fire that killed two people and destroyed 347 homes in Colorado Springs. The PC-12s, or any aircraft for that matter, probably could have detected the smoke and facilitated a much quicker initial attack on the fire.

The third article is about mapping fires with thermal sensors, and quotes Phil Riggan, a U.S. Forest Service research ecologist and thermal imaging pioneer based in Riverside, California. Below is an excerpt:

…Since 2001, Riggan has been part of the push to modernize firefighting by mixing on-the-ground firefighting with thermal images of wildfires. While the Forest Service uses a NIROPS flight, short for National Infrared Operations, to make passes over large fires once a day, Riggan advocates for real-time maps.

“If you are on one side of the fire, you don’t really know what’s going on on the other,” he said. “There’s just a lot of confusion that goes on. It’s really important that we try to move into a more modern stance here on fire information.”

Riggan, who has worked for years on a thermal imaging product called FireImager for the Forest Service, is not alone in his thinking. Last week, the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control signed contracts for two aircraft designed to capture thermal images of fires and upload them immediately into a statewide computer system that can feed to firefighters’ smartphones or tablets.

Infrared Ryan Maye Handy

Firefighting aircraft at Boise

SEATs 802 and 824 at BOI, July 19, 2014 — Tankers 802 and 824 at Boise, July 19, 2014

On Saturday I found myself at the Boise Airport and grabbed some photos of some of the aircraft.

Infrared plane, N149Z, at Boise, July 19, 2014

T-41, a BAe-146, at Boise, July 19, 2014

Back in February we wrote about the BLM awarding the first contract in the United States to Dynamic Aviation for a jet-powered lead plane. It was parked at Boise on Saturday. In May Aviation Week had an interesting article about the history of Dynamic Aviation.

Citation lead plane, N10R, at Boise, July 19, 2014

As a bonus, below are a couple of pictures of a helicopter working at the Whiskey Creek Complex near Lowman, Idaho.

Helicopter dipping at the Whiskey Creek Fire near Lowman, Idaho, July 18, 2014

Helicopter with bucket on Whiskey Creek Fire, July 18, 2014

BAe-146 Infrared N149Z Neptune T-41 T-802 T-824

Paint design approved for USFS C-130H air tankers

C-130H paint design, by Scheme Designers

The Chief of the U.S. Forest Service has approved the paint design for the seven C-130H aircraft the agency is receiving from the Coast Guard. The National Defense Authorization Act required the transfer of the C-130Hs plus 15 Shorts C-23B Sherpas from the military. The C-130Hs are being converted by the Air Force into air tankers, while the Sherpas will be used to deliver smokejumpers and cargo and to perform other wildfire support missions. The C-130Hs will be owned by the USFS but will be operated and maintained by contractors. Some of the Sherpas will be flown by agency personnel and others by contractors. All of the Sherpas will all be maintained by private companies.

The paint for the C-130Hs was designed by a company in New Jersey, Scheme Designers. Craig Darnett, their founder and CEO, told Fire Aviation that they have also designed the paint for other USFS aircraft, including the DC-3 and some smokejumper planes. Other examples of their work can be found at Airliners.net. Scheme Designers will not actually paint the C-130Hs; most of their work is done on computers, however sometimes the aircraft owner will pay them to be on site and monitor the painting as it is done.

If someone is restoring an automobile that is at least 27 years old, as these C-130Hs are according to our research, paint is the very last step in the process. Five of the seven have to go through a 10-month wing box replacement, and then the rest of the conversion process can begin, including cutting a hole in the belly and installing a retardant tank system.

Initially bringing the 22 aircraft into the agency will be extremely complex and time-consuming, with FAA approvals, inspections, evaluating, painting, writing then awarding contracts for maintenance and pilots, deciding on a tanking system, contracts for installing tanking systems, avionics, etc. And, developing a comprehensive PLAN of how to manage the aviation assets now and in the future. The Air Force will do some of this, other than the planning, before the actual final transfer of the C-130s to the USFS (the Sherpas will not receive retardant tanks), but the Forest Service has to be involved in the decision making. Then, after the 22 aircraft are completely up and running, managing the programs on a continuing basis is not simply a part time job for one person.

Below are some other paint designs on USFS aircraft:

McCall DC-3 retirement — J-42, a US Forest Service DC-3, retires. USFS photo, taken at Ogden, Utah, October 24, 2012.

Redding smokejumpers' Shorts 330 Sherpa — Redding smokejumpers’ Shorts 330 Sherpa. USFS photo.

Smokejumper aircraft, N143Z. USFS photo.

Lead planes at Cheyenne, WY, May 7, 2013. These were not government owned, but were under contract to either the USFS or BLM. Photo by Bill Gabbert.

Fire Watch helicopter — The U. S. Forest Service’s Fire Watch Cobra helicopter. July 28, 2011.

US Forest Service infrared aircraft N149Z — USFS infrared aircraft N149Z at Phoenix in 2013

Thanks and a hat tip go out to Leo

C-130 C-23 Citation Cobra DC-3 Firewatch HC-130H Infrared lead plane Sherpa

A thermal imager for your smart phone

Structural fire departments in recent years have discovered the value of thermal imaging cameras to detect dangerous heat sources that could ignite fires, find lingering heat hidden behind walls, and even locate fallen firefighters in a smoky environment. Most of those cameras start at $4,000 and can cost over $10,000.

At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week, FLIR, which manufactures some of these high-end forward looking infrared cameras, unveiled a $350 thermal imager that fits over the iPhone 5 or 5S like a protective case. Called the FLIR ONE, the company said it will be available in the spring of 2014. An Android version should be out later in the year.

Using an infrared imaging smart phone in a burning structure is not feasible, but wildland firefighters might find it useful for locating very small lighting-strike fires or finding the last heat sources during mop-up. Or, for example, after the snow has melted, are any of those burn piles we lit two weeks ago still smoldering?

(UPDATE January 31, 2014)

Some images have been posted on the company’s web site that they captured using the first run of FLIR ONE cameras.