Criteria and methodology for evaluating aerial wildfire suppression
Matt P. Plucinski A C and Elsa Pastor B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences and CSIRO Climate Adaptation Flagship, Black Mountain Laboratories, Clunies Ross Street, Black Mountain, ACT 2601, Australia.
B Department of Chemical Engineering, Centre for Technological Risk Studies, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Diagonal 647, E-08028 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
C Corresponding author. Email: matt.plucinski@csiro.au
International Journal of Wildland Fire 22(8) 1144-1154 https://doi.org/10.1071/WF13040
Submitted: 14 March 2013 Accepted: 22 May 2013 Published: 26 August 2013
Abstract
Aircraft are often used to drop suppressants and retardants to assist wildfire containment. Drop effectiveness has rarely been measured due to the difficulties in collecting data from wildfires and running field experiments and the absence of definitions and measures. This paper presents a set of criteria and methodologies for evaluating the effectiveness of aerial suppression drops. These consider drop placement, coverage and effect on fire behaviour. This paper also details drop site and delivery conditions that are required for determining causal factors that influence drop effectiveness and allow drops to be compared. Examples of drop impact evaluations made during experimental fires are used to demonstrate these methodologies. The main methods proposed are based on the analysis of orthorectified airborne infrared imagery of drops, which can be used to measure drop dimensions, proximity to fire perimeter and their effect on fire spread. These evaluations can be used to compare tactics, suppressants and delivery systems and to inform cost–benefit analyses of aerial suppression.
Additional keywords: aerial firefighting, firefighting effectiveness, infrared airborne monitoring, retardants, suppressants.
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