Stopping wildfires before they grow out of control is the goal of a bi-partisan bill introduced late last month in the House.
The bill, called the Advanced Capabilities for Emergency Response to Operations (ACERO) Act was introduced by Representatives Mike Garcia (R-CA) and Jennifer McClellan (D-VA). Central to the bill is the use of NASA drones and other advanced aviation technologies to assist with wildfire prevention and mitigation efforts.
“This is a game-changer for both our firefighters and communities vulnerable to wildfires,” said Rep. Garcia. “I’ve had countless conversations with firefighters in my district who have the same message: We need drones. These unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can quickly detect and reach small or remote fires to stop them from growing out of control—improving response times and keeping firefighters out of harm’s way. These UAV’s can also support operations at night—assisting emergency responders when visibility is low and manpower is reduced. Simply put, this bipartisan bill would serve as a critical force multiplier for our firefighters in defense of our communities.”
NASA is currently expandng its cross-agency collaboration to create more effective wildfire mitigation strategies and aviation systems that can better assist firefighters.
The ACERO Act would codify, expand, and improve the existing ACERO project at NASA “to include research and development of new technologies related to the management, deconfliction, and coordination of manned and unmanned aerial vehicles in wildfire response,” according to Rep. Garcia’s press release.
Rep. Garcia commented that the bill “will also develop – in collaboration with federal, state, and local governments as well as industry and academia – a unified concept of operations for the management of airspace during wildfires.”
Ultimately, the ACERO Act would serve as a critical fire-fighting resource nationwide.