At Strategic, we have a core business line that revolves around incident management, specifically wildland firefighting and spill response.  Drones have become an invaluable tool during the incidents that we respond to, both here in Canada and internationally.  Increased safety, improved efficiency and reduced costs are common themes following the introduction of drones to site. 

For years now we have been involved with wildfire hotspot mapping with our drones, and this is now expanding to heavy-lift equipment hauling applications.  On spills, we have added value through progress monitoring, skimming support, shoreline mapping, and other tasks mentioned below. 

Strategic staff have introduced drones to a number of incident deployments, assisting with the following applications during critical times:

• Hotspot mapping – in addition to the heli-based thermal scanning that we do, we scan fires with drones in early morning or throughout the night.  Following the identification of hotspots, we plot the data on maps for the fire crews to mop up the last remaining spots.
• SCAT support – during a spill, Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Technique (SCAT) is one of the initial steps involved.  We have fit drones into this workflow to improve our SCAT maps and improve situational awareness for all response crew members.
• Spill tracking & reconnaissance – during spills, drones have been invaluable for daily tracking of product on the water and for skimming vessel support.  Daily overflights to track trends and observe any new releases is also useful.

Whether you already have a team of drone operators, or your company is seeking out drone services – let’s chat about how you can make the most out of aerial data capture.   Call Mike at Strategic to chat further at 250-287-2246 (Ext 278), or reach us by email at uav@snrc.ca.