Alex Deslauriers and Melanie Bitner’s house was one of the 56 properties destroyed by Downton Lake’s forest fire two years ago.
A fire tornado, a combination of extreme fire intensity, lower moisture and a low dew point, swept the community of Gun Lake, about 61 kilometers north of Pemberton, BC, in August 2023, during the most destructive fire season of Canada in the registry.
An aerospace engineer who works, Deslauriers began to make a rain of innovative ideas to combat forest fires, to prevent others from being a similar destination.
On the coast9:34A Canadian company is innovating a forest fire defense mechanism
The 2023 fire season in Canada was the most destructive registered. But two BC companies are working on the development of a drone to combat forest fires in the province. We talked to the CEO of the fire Alex Deslauriers and the CEO of Strategic, Domenico Iannidinardo.
“There must be something that can be done with the technology available today,” Deslauriers thought for himself after fire.
Together with David Thanh, a former BC Wildfire and Bitner guardian, a communications expert, the trio co -founded Solutions Fires Enswarm, a Canadian company who, once it is done, aims to supply heavy duty drones to the first to respond.
Known as Thunder Wasp drones, these UAV of quadruple drones, unmanned aerial vehicles, are built by the Swedish Aerospace Company ACC Innovations.
According to Bitner, ACC innovations manufactures the drones and the heavy elevation platform to which they take flights and return, while the fires are the drones “ready for fire” by joining sensors with swarm algorithms of ia that are well known in defense.
The main difference between a Wasp Thunder drone and a regular recreational use drone is the heavy lifting capacity.
The lifting capacity is 400 kilograms, and drones can fly for two hours. Three thunder wasps drones can lift 1,200 kilograms. According to the BC forest fire service, a medium-sized helicopter can lift 1,100-1,600 kilograms.
When they unfold and ready to fly, drones measure 3.5 by 3.5 meters. Deslauriers says that drones are more useful during the night when forest fires can intensify and that pilots cannot fly.
“We are addressing a need that is not satisfied at this point,” said Deslauriers.
Fireswam is working with the strategic natural resources group, also known as Strategic, an emergency response management company, to prove the ability of drones to combat forest fires in BC over the course of the forest fire season.
Strategic, the largest indigenous property consulting in western Canada, has a long data relationship with the BC forest fire service: deploying additional fire fighting equipment when necessary during the last 20 years, said the Iannidardo Domenico CEO.
In an email to CBC News, the BC forest fire service said it is observing the tests to see if the drones could, in the future, be used in a provincial forest fire response.
The tests are being performed in the Squamish Valley. Iannidinardo says that drones can cover water autonomously, leaving it in an X.
BC’s Infire Wildfire Infire Wildfire said that these specific thunder wasps drones are not being used for forest fire response anywhere else in the world.
“No one is addressing the problem as we are, using heavy lifting drones and installing sensors to suppress fires,” said Deslauriers.
“It is a complete experience outside the body to be honest. To face a problem two years ago, to be able to unite an incredible team and reach this point.”
Deslauriers and Iannidinardo say that their goal is to approve drones and in service for the 2026 forest fire season in BC
