Military technology used to track terrorists and insurgents while keeping American troops safe is making its way to the blazing battlefields of wildfires.
From heat-seeing cameras to drones to night-vision goggles and satellite trackers pinpointing firefighters’ exact locations, military technology is helping fire managers better deploy air tankers above, and fire crews on the ground.
“For years this technology was available to the armed forces and now it’s coming to us,” said Capt. Fernando Herrera, a spokesman for the California state fire agency, CalFire.
California's fire season has already set records, and the rapid advance of the largest illustrate what's at stake for firefighters in the state. Last month's Valley Fire resulted in four deaths and destroyed 1,958 structures in three Northern California counties. Combined with a second fire southeast of Sacramento, Calif., claims could reach $1.1 billion, catastrophe insurer Impact said last week. Southern California has yet to reach peak wildfire conditions.