For some states, summer unfortunately means fire season. ScanEagle is a drone created by a company called Insitu which is one of the first drones being used to fight fires on a large scale in Oregon. During the recent Eagle Creek fire, ScanEagle flew over the fire zones for about 66 hours in total, over a period of 7 days helping firefighters locate and put out the flames.

A senior pilot of the company, Justin Fluegel, stated that the staff at ScanEagle is preparing to respond to any fire breakouts this upcoming season. The Eagle Creek fire was the most recent fire to engulfed the Columbia River Gorge. For a lot of residents, it was upsetting to watch their town burn.

Fluegel remembers getting the call for him and his team to help put out the fire. He was the operator of the ScanEagle drone and recalls how the thermal imagery from his drone lit up his screen showing him the locations of the fires. The front of his drone was outfitted with a camera which can be swapped out with several different sensors so that the drone can live stream data and information. The company is in talks with the Japanese government to see if the ScanEagle can be used to detect radiation levels over Fukushima in Japan.

The U.S military and its allies have used the ScanEagle for several applications. Up until 2016, there were usually about 20 ScanEagle drones in use around the world by government agencies making it one of the most trusted drones available.  ScanEagle can fly from 14-20 hours stated Fluegel. During the Eagle Creek fire, it was in the air for 13 hours at a time. The good thing about using drones for emergency services is that they can land and take off from almost anywhere.

The drone is multi-functional. It can safely fly at night, low to the ground, navigate canyons, and even fly in high winds. It also has the ability to see where the hot spots are during fires and can fly where aircraft can’t. The Eagle Creek fire emitted huge clouds of smoke that no aircraft could see through, but the ScanEagle could fly and see through the smoke. This type of drone technology is paramount in saving both lives and natural resources and many are certain these drones will become more common around the world.