The Center of Excellence for Advanced Technology Aerial Firefighting (CoE) proposes to test and evaluate counter unmanned aerial system (cUAS) technology within the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control (DFPC) to assist firefighting and emergency operations. The CoE will provide the access to simulated operations and evaluate the technology’s applicability of detecting UAS during wildland fire and other emergency response operations. cUAS technology will be used to support operational efforts with the intent to increase safety, efficacy, and efficiency on wildland fires and other emergency operations. Specific tasks to be evaluated are discussed further below.
The CoE is part of DFPC, whose mission is to protect the citizens, land, and resources in Colorado. Senate Bill 19-020 was signed in June 2019 and charges the CoE to study and, if feasible, implement a system to patrol the airspace above a wildland fire. The CoE will test and evaluate technology that can support detection, tracking, and identification (DTI) of unauthorized drones at wildland fires and other public safety events. If feasible, the DTI equipment will lead to technology-driven conclusions that validate the safe continuation of aerial firefighting operations at a wildland fire, training events, directed simulations or emergency scenes. For more information about the CoE and our staff, visit our webpage.
Studying the potential of UAS detection technology to support UAS DTI on wildland fires and emergency response operations is clearly within the purview of the CoE and is, in fact, an area the CoE has recognized for testing and development. For more information about the CoE’s current projects, refer to the appendix of this document.
Objective 1: Identify, test, and evaluate UAS detection technology that can support UAS DTI in controlled wildland environments.
Objective 2: Analyze data from tests on successes and failures with the intent to improve the use of detection technology for firefighting or emergency operations.
Objective 3: Publish a report on research and make recommendations regarding the deployment of UAS detection technology for emergency operations.
The CoE will perform research and identify how UAS detection technology could detect, track, and identify UAS to increase operational safety. The CoE will coordinate testing scenarios to test and evaluate the technology in Colorado. Tests will be conducted in structured environments (i.e., planned tests/events).
The CoE will gather objective, quantitative, and qualitative data based on UAS detection operations. When possible, the CoE will perform direct and measured comparisons with current methods with the goal of measuring the improvements or detriments to operations. The CoE will also conduct surveys of DFPC personnel and stakeholders to identify successes and areas for improvement within their respective operations.
The CoE will provide a final report with the findings from the study. The report will be public, but the CoE can protect proprietary information. As mentioned, for operational security reasons, the CoE may not disclose actual testing locations.
