Nonprofit donates nearly $100,000 drone system to the Santa Barbara County Fire Department. It can drop small self-igniting plastic spheres to start backfires.
Santa Barbara County firefighters are getting a cutting edge new tool to fight wildfires, thanks to a non-profit group.
They are getting a drone which carries a payload of self-igniting plastic spheres, which are dropped to start backfires. The drones can get into hard to access areas which might be dangerous for firefighters starting the fires by hand with blowtorches.
Backfires can be an important tool for firefighters to stop the growth of a wildfire, by removing fuel in its path. It can also be used for controlled burns to prevent the spread of future wildfires.
The Santa Barbara Firefighters Alliance is paying for the nearly $100,000 IGNIS Aerial Ignition System, and donating it to the county fire department.
News from: kclu.org
