As wildfires continue across Arizona, firefighters on the ground are relying on their eyes in the skies to help direct them in their efforts to put them out.
“The sooner we get that information out, the better,” said Robert Ortlund, a supervisor with the state’s Air Attack group.
When wildfires spark across the state, Ortlund can be a difficult guy to reach because he’s usually hundreds of miles in the air in his trusty airplane with the State Forest Services Air Attack Group.
“Our job is to work with the ground help them with strategies,” said Ortlund.
One of Ortlund’s primary jobs is to map the wildfire from the skies and he does so using an iPad.
“I can draw a map of the fire. I can also take photos and videos so if you are on the ground, we can work it out,” said Ortlund.
In his 30 years of helping ground crews from the sky, he says technology has really sped up the job.
Thanks to a WiFi booster on board, he can send firefighters on the ground aerial information about the fire in minutes.
“In the early days we were working with paper maps,” said Ortlund.
The aerial knowledge helps the crews on the ground in many ways.
Not only does it provide a more accurate area of what is burning, but crews can also see if any buildings or homes are being threatened.
The map also shows what type of terrain and vegetation they will be dealing with.
Ortlund said when you have multiple wildfires at the same time, this helps crews on the ground know which fires to focus on first.
“Some of them get taken care of right away as long as they have that information and know what’s going on,” Ortlund said.
Ortlund’s job doesn’t stop at making maps. The air attack team also directs the air support during a wildfire like tankers that drop retardant on the flames.
“We are like an air traffic control in the sky,” said Ortlund.