When fire and dry forest material combine, bad things happen.  October is National Preparedness Month and ensuring that we are aware of our local area is important to understand when it comes to potential disasters.

With dry conditions, fallen leaves and other forest debris make the risk of wildfires more possible.  On October 24th, the initial first signs of a growing wildfire were reported the in Plattekill section of Ulster County New York.

The below video was taken from about 5 miles to the east of the center of the wildfire.  

Local first responders working conjunction with state/federal agencies such as New York Department of Conservation (DEC), New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES), State Office of Emergency Management (SOEM), US Forest Service, National Park Service and US Fish and Wildlife Service work together to reduce risk and spread of such disasters.

All agencies have certified drone pilots to help with observation and resource coordination to assist with fire fighting duties. Observing wind direction and surrounding areas help responders plan how to address such events.

According to Forest Rangers Division wildfires in New York State are caused by the following:

• 95% by humans.
• Lightning is responsible for 5%.
• Debris burning accounts for 33%.
• Incendiary fires account for 16%.
• Campfires cause 16%.
• Children are responsible for 4%.
• Smoking, equipment, railroads, and miscellaneous causes contribute to the remaining 25% of wildfires.

Please be safe while outdoors when particulate from wildfires are airborne during what is otherwise a very nice time of year to spend outside before winter seasons enters the region.  Please contact Low Altitude Services with any questions related to drone based  observation services related to wildfire observation.

Here are 5 reasons why its a good idea to include drone capabilities in work site safety goals.

#1 - Pre-Planning - Before working at a site, having a top down view may be helpful for some unexpected planning to account for when positioning vehicles, materials or equipment not seen from ground level.

#2 - Liability - Should there be a need to provide proof about something that happened on a job site which may have created impacts in unfavorable ways, a video recording from a different angle may help with setting safety roles and potential insurance impacts.

#3 - Training - On the ground it is not always easy to see everything taking place at a work site. All workers can benefit by viewing work site footage after which may prompt some discussions about training.  This training may come in many ways, but the key thing is that it opens a discussion to create potential better communications and efficiencies.

#4 - Marketing Value - Any commercial organization may benefit by having footage of a work site to show how professional they are. Content like this may help win business over competitors.

#5 - Security - Having an extra set of eyes is a great security measure. While work sites may not always need this, sometimes it could be helpful to get ahead of a potential risk before it happens.