ISTOCK/MICHAEL CHAPMAN
INTHESPOTLIGHT By Jen Boyer
Mark Bathrick, Director, Office of Aviation
Services, US Department of the Interior DOI UAS have conducted nearly 1,800 flights supporting wildland fire operations this year.
A WATCH
a UAS work the Pine Gulch Fire
A firefighter launches a UAS during a training exercise.
S THE INCREDIBLY INTENSE AND DESTRUCTIVE 2020 WILDFIRE SEASON begins to wind down, HAI got the chance to ask Mark Bathrick, the director of the Office of Aviation Services for the US Department of the Interior (DOI), how
the season went and what next year may hold.
ROTOR: This fire season was certainly one for the books. How were DOI helicopters and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) assets used and how did they make the most impact? Bathrick: DOI is committed to deploying all resources and technology to protect human health and safety. The department continues using the drone fleet during wild- fire response operations. So far this year and despite challenges associated with COVID-19, DOI has con- ducted fuel management treatments on nearly 1 million acres, putting us ahead of our 10-year average. Commercially contracted helicopters continued to play a vital role in wildland firefighting in 2020. A critical
part of the annual preparation for the fire year is the inspec- tion of aircraft for proper equipment and conditions and the training and evaluation of pilots prior to the contract start. Working closely with our industry and interagency partners, the Office of Aviation Services (OAS) devel- oped COVID-19 sensitive travel and inspection risk assessments and protocols that enabled us to exceed fire-year readiness requirements while also mitigating the risk of COVID-19 to our employees, commercial ven- dors, interagency partners, and the communities we vis- ited to perform the inspections. Our UAS continue to be used across the country in support of wildland fire operations.
Were there any surprises, either good or bad, in how helicopter and UAS assets were used? The use of aerial-ignition UAS helps our teams conduct burnout operations during smoky conditions and at night.
Given that we’re seeing longer, more intense fire seasons, what are you hoping to bring to the 2021 fire season? For 2021, OAS plans to meet the DOI bureaus’ requests to train more UAS operators to support wildland firefight- ing efforts.
How did UAS technology support firefighting this season? DOI bureaus continue to use our UAS fleet during wild- fire response operations. DOI UAS have conducted
20 ROTOR 2020 Q4
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