National Wildfire Coordinating Group

RT-130, Wildland Fire Safety Training Annual Refresher (WFSTAR)

Interagency UAS Program: Wildland Fire Operations Integration

RT-130 Decorative banner. Group of photos depicting wildland firefighters performing various duties.

The Interagency Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Program safely, effectively, and efficiently employs UAS in support of resource program and incident management objectives. Improvements in agency and contracted aircraft offer expanded capabilities for aerial ignition, intelligence, surveillance, and recon for wildland fire operations.
Category: Aviation
Core Component(s): Fire and Aviation Operational Safety
Estimated Delivery Time: 30 minutes; Video Length: 13:37

 

Intent

Review standards and policy guiding Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) use in wildland fire operations. Identify the four NWCG UAS positions and basic UAS training requirements. Understand utilization of agency and contracted UAS platforms for aerial ignition and data/imaging applications.

  • Review the video and module tools.
  • Consider additional activities and discussion questions pertinent to the location and agency.

Facilitator Preparation

Facilitating the Discussion

  • Show the video.
  • Facilitate a small or large group discussion using the activity and discussion questions.

Discussion Questions

  1. Describe your experience with UAS in fire operations.
    1. Optional: Refer to UAS Mission Locations StoryMap for information on missions flown.
  2. What are the four NWCG UAS positions?
    1. Refer to the S-373 course page and the NWCG Position Catalog for more information about the positions and required training.
  3. What are the benefits of utilizing UAS for aerial ignition and data/imaging?
  4. What are the protocols to follow if you/your crew witness a UAS incursion on an incident?
    1. Refer to Appendix A of the NWCG Standards for Fire Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operations, PMS 515.

Resources

Additional Video Information

This video is also available as a download.  (Size 1.6 GB)
Download the .srt file for closed captioning (you may need to right click and Save As). For information on how to add closed captioning to a video, see this how to page.

Note: For Chrome, Firefox, and Edge, right click the word download and select Save Link As; For IE, right click and select Save Target As.

 

Print This WFSTAR Module

 

 

 

Page Last Modified / Reviewed: 
2023-04-06

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