Drone technology pinpoints dangerous spots, helps firefighters douse Washington City fire

Written by Chris Reed
May 18, 2023

ST. GEORGE — Just in time for fire season, local firefighters have a new tool to combat wildfires.

(L-R): A comparison of overhead views taken by a Santa Clara-Ivins Fire and Rescue drone shows an infrared heat view of the Waters Edge Fire and what the scene looked like in normal, visible light, Washington City, Utah, May 9, 2023 | Photos courtesy of Santa Clara-Ivins Fire and Rescue, St. George News

When a fire tore through 40 acres along the banks of the Virgin River in Washington City on May 9, firefighters knew exactly where the hot spots were, thanks to a collection of drones and technology from the Santa Clara-Ivins Fire and Rescue.

The drones provided overall visuals of visible light of the closest 100 structures threatened and also infrared images that showed the heat signatures of the warmest parts of the fire. 

“As far as I’m told, we are the only agency in Utah doing this, but I know we are the only in Southern Utah,” Santa Clara-Ivins Fire and Rescue Division Chief Lance Haynie said. 

Haynie has been tasked by the department to review and find the latest technologies that could give local firefighters an edge over blazes, then coordinates with other local departments to utilize that technology beyond western Washington County and the Old Dixie Highway 91 corridor. 

While Haynie said the logistics of that work is in its early stages, it was implemented during the May 9 fire that was dubbed the Waters Edge Fire. In video and images provided to St. George News and seen at the start of this article, firefighters were provided real-time images of where the fire was as well as the hot spots obscured from the human eye. 

Overhead images show the area of the May 9, 2023 Waters Edge Fire in Washington City, Utah, before the fire, at left, and after | Photos courtesy of Santa Clara-Ivins Fire and Rescue, St. George News

The technology hasn’t been just used for fire but for ice as well. The department used the drones to monitor snow runoff in the nearby mountains, which helped local officials know what was coming before the Santa Clara River reached flood stage in March. 

Haynie said the technology not only aided the firefighters but can be used to quickly inform the public of the extent of the fire’s damage. It provides an orthographic projection, or visual map, of the damage by putting together several drone images to create an overhead view that looks like it was taken from a satellite. 

The department has created such a view of last week’s fire and posted it for the public on its website. 

“We should be able to produce near real-time orthography and rapidly release the information,” Haynie said.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chris Reed serves as a reporter for St. George News, where he has been honored with several awards from the Society of Professional Journalists for his work, including first-place accolades. He started his journalism career as a sports reporter and editor in Southern California where he once compared shoe sizes with Shaquille O'Neal and exchanged mix tapes with members of the Los Angeles Kings. After growing up in the San Fernando Valley learning karate skills from Mr. Miyagi and spending a decade in Las Vegas mostly avoiding the casinos, he came to St. George for love and married his soulmate, a lifetime Southern Utah resident. He is the proud father of two boys, his youngest a champion against both autism and Type 1 diabetes.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGNews

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