Thematic division and tactical analysis of the UAS application supporting forest fire management

Abstract

Introduction: This paper describes many initiatives and shows also practical examples which have happened using Unmanned Aerial Systems to support fire managers in different ways. Since the operation of manned aircraft at forest fires is usually expensive, in many cases managers miss the aerial activity even for reconnaissance however that would be required for the effective intervention. Today more and more experts say Unmanned Aerial Systems can give real alternatives for aerial reconnaissance even if this application is far from manager’s mentality yet. Methods: Author used thematic division of Unmanned Aerial Systems applications; it is based on two key elements, one of them is the time flow of fighting forest fires, the other is its tactical requirements. Research used mainly author’s own experiences in this field, accompanied by function analysis, practical experiments, economic analysis and also expert estimation. Results and discussion: Logically Unmanned Aerial Systems can be used before fire for hot spot detection, before starting the intervention for fire reconnaissance, during the intervention for intervention monitoring and after suppression for post fire monitoring. The method of prescribed fire can also be in the focus of Unmanned Aerial Systems use as a special application for fire prevention.