(Washington) The US Department of Defense has deployed a new high-tech fire detection system to help Canada battle one of the worst wildfire seasons on record.
The White House says the FireGuard system uses real-time data from drones and satellites to help detect new outbreaks in isolated areas before they spiral out of control.
This is just the latest U.S. helping hand in Canada, since smoke from wildfires in Nova Scotia, Ontario and Quebec began drifting south of the border earlier this month. this.
Since the beginning of May, more than 800 American firefighters, supervisors and technicians have been deployed across Canada, along with various aeronautical devices.
Canada has since requested additional air tankers and paratroopers (wildfire specialists who parachute into remote areas) through federal and state channels.
Other resources sent north include manual crews, incident management teams and line of fire leadership positions, according to the Idaho-based National Interagency Fire Center.
“(Department of Defense) personnel will analyze and share real-time data from U.S. satellites and sensors and transmit it through a cooperative agreement between the U.S. National Interagency Fire Center and the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center. National Security Council spokesman Adam Hodge said in a statement.
“In the coming weeks, the United States will continue to coordinate closely with the Government of Canada in the response to the historic wildfires burning in Canada,” he said.
Those fires became impossible to ignore south of the border as thick smoke drifted into some of the most populated cities on the US East Coast last week, including New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore. .
At the height of the smoke’s presence, regions were issuing air quality alerts ranging from red to purple and brown, a level that indicates “unsafe” conditions. These sectors were canceling outdoor activities, delaying flights and keeping schoolchildren indoors.
“We are proud of our staff who continue to step up and make themselves available for assignment in Canada,” said Dave Haston, spokesperson for the National Multi-Agency Coordinating Group.
The group “will continue to respond quickly to Canadian requests for additional fire suppression resources and provide essential support during this period of relatively light fire activity in the United States currently.”
The implication here is clear: the United States has its own wildfire season to worry about, and if it reaches the same level as Canada, it will have its hands full and be unable to provide much help. further beyond their borders.
Through state “agreements” with Alaska, Washington and Minnesota, three air tankers were sent to Alberta, while three single-engine water bombers, known as “fire bumps”, head to Ontario.
The United States Bureau of Land Management and the nation’s fire department are also sending two aircraft, four spotter planes and 36 paratroopers to help with fire suppression efforts in British Columbia.