Aspen Fire to Pilot AI Drones for Wildland Suppression
The department plans to deploy Seneca’s swarm technology next year, aiming to attack remote fires before they escalate.
By Marco Ortega ·
Firefighters in western Colorado are preparing to use a new type of aerial machine to attack wildland fires. The Aspen Fire Protection District plans to operate a swarm of artificial intelligence guided drones independently as early as next year. This move would make Aspen the first fire department in the world to do so. The district aims to use the aircraft to reach remote lightning strikes and other hard to access fires before crews arrive on the ground.
The technology was developed by Seneca, a company based in California. The drones resemble large black and white insects, measuring approximately 10 by 12 feet wide. They feature four arms with propellers and can carry between 500 and 1,000 gallons of finished fire foam. A group of five drones functions similarly to a small fire engine. According to Stuart Landesberg, the founder of Seneca, the machines have a range of 5 to 10 miles while carrying a payload. That range doubles to 20 miles when the drones are empty.
The district has tested the equipment on prescribed burns in the state. Andy Fisher, deputy chief of Aspen Fire, said the machines are easy to control. He noted that volunteer staff watched a pilot operate the drone from an iPad during recent trials. Fisher described the ideal use case as keeping fires small while they are still smoldering, rather than waiting for wind to intensify the flames. The city of Aspen is surrounded by dense forests and high value real estate, which limits evacuation routes for residents and visitors.
The drones utilize an AI supported sensor suite to calculate distance and wind speed. This system allows the aircraft to release water or retardant at specific angles and velocities. Landesberg compared the navigation system to a flying Waymo. He stated that the drones will not replace air tankers on large fires but can monitor ongoing incidents and extinguish lingering hot spots. He also argued that the technology could make aerial firefighting more affordable than helicopters.
Aspen Fire will pay approximately $2.5 million over the next five years to acquire the equipment. Private donors will cover the cost. The Federal Aviation Administration granted the department a waiver in late October. Once training is complete, firefighters can fly the drones up to 200 feet in Pitkin County. The waiver restricts flight over populated areas, and a human observer must maintain visual contact with the aircraft at all times. This requirement means a person must be positioned on a mountain or ridgeline to watch the drone and communicate with the pilot.
Veteran firefighter Joe Stutler, who has nearly 60 years of experience, is watching the Aspen program closely. Stutler is not affiliated with the district or Seneca. He supports the potential for the drones to operate overnight when manned aircraft are grounded. He hopes the technology will reduce risk for firefighters. However, he remains skeptical because the drones have only been tested on prescribed burns, not actual wildfires. Stutler said he has not yet seen data that backs up the company's claims regarding effectiveness on real fires.
Stutler noted that large drops of water or retardant from air tankers rarely extinguish a fire entirely. He believes he would use the drones if given access, but he still plans to deploy ground crews. Fisher hopes that if the drones prove useful, the department can expand its waiver and help fight fires across the state.
