Colorado is adding a new tool to fighting fires.
The state Division of Fire Prevention and Control is the first in the country to allow firefighting helicopters to fly at night. Pilots wear night vision goggles to attack the flames 24 hours a day.
"With the night vision goggles, you can see practically everything you can see during the day," said Vince Welbaum, aviation unit chief for the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control. "Helicopters are very critical, as with any of the aviation assets we have out there." Colorado is no stranger to wildfires and finding new ways to fight them. Up until now, firefighters couldn’t use one of their most important tools when the sun went down. Night time is the best time to fight fires, Walbaum said.