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HORSHAM AIR GUARD STATION, Pa. -- Members of the Horsham Air Guard Station recently returned from California after assisting the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) with containing California’s all-time largest fire in Mendocino County.
The members of the 111th Operations Group, led by Capt. Phil, a pilot with the 111th OG, aided CAL FIRE by flying a MQ-9 aircraft above the fire to map the ever-changing fire line. This allowed CAL FIRE to track the progress and successes of the fire, said Capt. Phil.
“We use an infrared camera to make the fires stand out,” said Capt. Phil. “As we moved along, the fire line is graphed out onto a map.”
Because the 111th OG had the capability of tracking whether the fire was spreading or being suppressed, it allowed on-ground firefighters with CAL FIRE to handle the fire more effectively and bring it near full containment, said Capt. Phil. By better identifying geographic features, the 111th OG helped firefighters identify where to place possible fire breaks.
The Air National Guard, is always ready and always there, sharing capabilities to support and protect communities from state to state and coast to coast.
| Date Taken: | 08.31.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 09.05.2018 09:07 |
| Story ID: | 291355 |
| Location: | HORSHAM, PA, US |
| Web Views: | 31 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Horsham Airmen aid in fighting California fires, by SSgt Timi Jones, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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