Fire mapping plane assists in rescue of 10 military personnel

Search and rescue operation underway in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado.

Longs Peak map
3-D map of Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park, 10 miles southwest of Estes Park, Colorado. Google Earth.

(UPDATED at 2:10 p.m. MDT, June 3, 2016)

Helicopter rescue hikers
A helicopter extracts military personnel from the summit of Longs Peak at 1:42 p.m. MDT, June 3, 2016. Screen grab from TheDenverChannel video.

Ten soldiers, some of them with the 10th Special Forces Group based at Fort Carson, are being rescued from Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park. Between 1:30 and 2 p.m. MDT TheDenverChannel streamed live video of a helicopter extracting personnel from the summit of the peak which is about 48 miles northwest of downtown Denver.

Kyle Patterson, a public affairs officer for the Park, said the state’s Pilatus PC-12 Multi-Mission Aircraft was used for reconnaissance. At 12:19 p.m. MDT she stated:

Late last night, Rocky Mountain National Park staff were notified that a group of ten people were requesting assistance on Kiener’s Route on Longs Peak.  The group consists of a variety of military personnel affiliated with Fort Carson.  This group was involved in a climbing training.  A few members reported having some degree of distress and were having difficulty continuing up the route. The group was not planning to over-night in the area.  The group continues to self-rescue by assisting each other to climb to the summit of Longs Peak.

Park rangers are planning evacuation efforts from the summit of Longs Peak via helicopter, weather and conditions permitting.  Rangers are also planning to assist the group to the summit, if needed.  There are forty-three park personnel affiliated with this incident.  Helicopter operations have taken place within the last hour to help with reconnaissance efforts.

Lt. Colonel Sean Ryan, a spokesman for the 10th Special Forces Group based at Fort Carson, confirmed this is a Green Beret unit.

Ryan said two members of the group got altitude sickness. He stressed that no one is missing and that altitude sickness can be a factor in mountain training.

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(Originally published at 12:11 p.m. MDT, June 3, 2016)

An aircraft normally used for detecting and mapping wildfires has been mobilized to assist in the rescue of 10 overdue military personnel in Rocky Mountain National Park. The location is centered around Longs Peak which is 10 miles southwest of Estes Park, Colorado and about 48 miles northwest of downtown Denver.

This is a developing story which we will update as more information is available.

According to the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control, one of their recently acquired Pilatus PC-12 Multi-Mission Aircraft is being used in the search. Sensors on the planes can detect and map the location of fires and transmit near real-time spatial data, still images, and short video clips to the Colorado Wildfire Information Management System (CO-WIMS), a web-based situational awareness platform. The infrared sensors may be able to detect the heat signatures given off by the overdue personnel. As you can see by the 3-D map above, the Longs Peak area is very steep and rugged, a difficult area for ground searchers to cover.

PIlatus PC-12 Colorado
One of Colorado’s two Pilatus PC-12 “Multi-mission Aircraft” at McClellan Air Field, March 23, 2016. Photo by Bill Gabbert.

Colorado's Pilatus PC-12 "Multi-mission Aircraft"
Guy Jones, one of the pilots for Colorado’s Pilatus PC-12 “Multi-mission Aircraft”, explains the sensing capabilities of the aircraft’s equipment at McClellan Air Field, March 23, 2016. Photo by Bill Gabbert.

Colorado researching methods for transmitting near real-time fire information to firefighters

Above: One of Colorado’s two Pilatus PC-12 “Multi-mission Aircraft” at McClellan Air Field, March 23, 2016. Photo by Bill Gabbert.

Colorado’s Center of Excellence for Advanced Technology Aerial Firefighting is requesting information from vendors who could supply equipment that would transmit from aircraft near real-time information about wildfires directly to firefighters on the ground.

The state’s Division of Fire Prevention and Control recently acquired two Pilatus PC-12 Multi-Mission Aircraft. Sensors on the planes can detect and map the location of fires and transmit near real-time spatial data, still images, and short video clips to the Colorado Wildfire Information Management System (CO-WIMS), a web-based situational awareness platform. Fire managers can log into CO-WIMS to view fire perimeters and the other data generated by the aircraft. Firefighters on the ground who have access to the system can view the information as long as they have a good 4G cellular connection. However, many remote areas do not have cellular service.

Colorado’s Request for Information is asking for descriptions and prices of systems that could get this data directly into the hands of firefighters actively engaged in suppressing a fire. Responses are due by June 13, 2016.

This could supply half of the Holy Grail of Wildland Firefighter Safety, providing to firefighters near real-time information about the location of a fire. The other half is near real-time information about the location of firefighters.

Colorado's Pilatus PC-12 "Multi-mission Aircraft"
Guy Jones, one of the pilots for Colorado’s Pilatus PC-12 “Multi-mission Aircraft”, explains the sensing capabilities of the aircraft’s equipment at McClellan Air Field, March 23, 2016. Photo by Bill Gabbert.

Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Bean.