From McKenzie student Zyla Drake:
This month at WATERS, we had the chance to meet with Jason Wickizer, an ODF forest officer, who shared insights about his work with drones and helicopters to detect and fight fires.
We learned how drones can take detailed images, including infrared shots, to help pinpoint fire "hotspots.”
These images are critical in helping firefighters respond quickly to fires, even identifying spots as small as a centimeter!
We were lucky enough to actually see one of these drones in flight multiple times.
The pictures the drones take are extremely helpful to firefighters and allow them to get to fires quicker, which can be life-saving.
We were all able to take print-outs of the maps home.
Pictures courtesy of McKenzie student Liliana Jones.