Volatus Aerospace has successfully completed the Hinton GRID Testing assessment conducted by Alberta Wildfire Services, earning its status as a certified provider of drone-based infrared imaging services for wildfire management.
The Hinton GRID Testing is designed to evaluate whether vendors can fulfill specific criteria related to target sensitivity, precision, and data delivery, tailored to the operational needs of firefighting.This benchmark is not only crucial for Alberta but is also acknowledged by fire services in other provinces.
The insights gained from infrared imaging are vital for ground firefighters, enabling them to identify critical areas, locate hot spots, and confirm that fires have been completely extinguished, thereby eliminating any risk of re-ignition.
“Volatus is now included on the official list of approved infrared drone imaging service providers for alberta Wildfire Services,” stated Walter Weselowski, Team Lead for special Flight Operations at Volatus Aerospace. Weselowski, who first qualified for rotary infrared operations in 2011, brings over fifteen years of experience in mapping wildfire hot spots across Canada, including some of the most meaningful fires in various provinces.
“While many drone operators are eager to assist in wildfire suppression efforts, effectively navigating a drone in the challenging conditions of a wildfire while gathering accurate and dependable hot spot data requires specialized knowledge, credentials, and experience,” Weselowski emphasized.
