By FireRescue1 Staff
WASHINGTON — A new bill in front of the U.S. Senate could modernize wildfire management and increase firefighter safety.
According to a press release from U.S. Senator Cory Gardner, the Wildfire Management Technology Advancement Act would require the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior to keep track of GPS locations for wildfire crews and use drones to map and scout wildfires in real time.
“Our firefighters in Colorado and around the country risk everything to protect our communities and it is our duty to make sure they have every possible tool at their disposal to safely fight wildfires,” Gardner said. “The Center of Excellence for Advanced Technology Aerial Firefighting in Colorado develops cutting-edge technologies and this legislation will compliment those efforts. I will work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to make sure this important, common-sense bill becomes law.”
The bill would also require that the firefighter injury trends be analyzed in order to prevent future incidents.
The agencies would also be directed to partner with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab and other labs to predict areas that are most likely to experience wildfires during fire season.
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