All Terrain Thinking

A Compendium of things I think are Important

Generally Speaking, Think on this...

The Predator and the 2007 Fire Storm in San Diego

The Predator unmanned aerial vehicle can hold 3,000 pounds externally. Some firefighting helicopters can carry buckets containing 420 gallons of water.

It's time we reprioritize some of the funds proposed for wars to equip scores of “firebots,” drones that use the technologies of space shuttle unmanned missions, Predator, GPS, infrared heat seeking and computer gaming to monitor and fight accidental or intentional but illegal fires.

All the technology exists, and should be able to be married into firebots that roam the skies with 361 gallons (3,000 pounds) of water or retardant to detect fires greater than an acre and put them out before they spread to four acres.

The government could arrange to have Predator-type manufacturers compete to provide 10 such firebots for Orange and San Diego counties. They could help with traffic control or be deployed quickly against fires. We would save incredible amounts of water now used in firefighting or lost to ash. It would be useful in cutting greenhouse gases too.

This kind of robot might have saved our region over $1 billion in lost property and seven lives.

TONY ALFINO
San Diego

See Also: Have we misapplied our technology?

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