El Dorado County fire district launches new drone program
EL DORADO COUNTY — As the hot and dry weather continues, one Northern California fire department has a new tool to help it fight fires.
The El Dorado County Fire Protection District recently launched its Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) program, allowing them to fly drones.
"They can help us find people who are in remote area rescues. Up the canyon, down the river, they can help us locate people a lot faster," Caleb Melton, drone pilot, said.
Melton said they started flying the drones in March, just in time for fire season.
"We also use them on wildland fires if we're having difficulty locating the precise area where the fire is at. We can launch them up," Melton said.
Melton said they have used the drones several times this fire season, from rescuing hikers to seeing if a fire has been completely put out.
"We also use them on wildland fires if we're having difficulty locating the precise area where the fire is at, we can launch them up," Melton said.
Chris Willson, a Cal Fire division chief, said they have had the UAS program since 2020.
He said it came in handy when they weren't sure if the dozer line was completed all the way down to the creek, so they sent a drone instead of crews.
"Showing them that it is complete and that probably saved probably 6-8 hours of hiking on a crew," Willson said.
Willson said they are constantly finding new ways to use the drones, including experimenting with cargo delivery.
"Looking at flying water, hose packs, stuff like that in the future up the fire line. We've also experimented with hand-held radios in a rescue situation," Willson said.
El Dorado County Fire currently has seven drones and the drone pilots are certified by the Federal Aviation Administration.