KELOWNA — As wildfires burned across the province this summer, hundreds of firefighter pilots battled the flames from the air. Now a new study hopes to improve the safety of these pilots.
Conair, a company specializing in aerial forest fire fighting, has teamed up with Survive and Thrive Applied Research (STAR) and UBC Okanagan to research, test and commercialize new technologies.
The research will look at pilot workload, and the role it plays in pilot fatigue and overall performance.
“The safety of fire response personnel — both on the ground and in the air — is always our first priority,” says Dave Maedel, Executive Director for BC Wildfire Service. “The BC Wildfire Service welcomes any initiative that could provide further insight in to the management of fatigue and provides measurable ways to improve the safety of aerial firefighting personnel.”
STAR researchers will also collaborate with Camosun College, Latitude Technologies, and Conair to analyze past flight data, conduct fatigue tests in regular and simulator flight scenarios, and attempt to identify and quantify fatigue factors.
“This year’s fire season demonstrates how important this work is to Canadians, and we are pleased that STAR has assembled a world class, interdisciplinary team of professors, researchers, and students to work with industry and post-secondary partners on this important topic,” says Prof. Philip Barker, Vice-Principal Research at UBCO.
The project is expected to span 18 months and cost $600,000.
Comments