First summer of night-vision wildfire fighting in BC already showing it’s a game-changer

In the spring of 2023, the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) started working with industry to explore how night-vision technology could be used to fight fires.

After plenty of trials and exploration, night-vision goggles (NVG) were finally implemented into wildfire response in a limited fashion this summer.

Officials say it’s already proving to be effective and has the potential to be a game-changer as it becomes more common practice.

“I see the difference,” said Denis Fecteau, chief helicopter pilot with Canadian Helicopters. “There’s definitely an advantage in doing this. It’s another tool in the province’s arsenal.”

There are currently just two contracted BCWS helicopters being flown with this technology.

It began with an A-Star with a BCWS NVG observer and pilot on board in July, then the program expanded to use a much larger, tanked Sikorsky 61 (S61) in August.

Bryce Moreira, the BCWS’ aviation preparedness officer, says NVR technology has been very effective to assess initial phone reports that come in after sunset.

He notes that they will also use it to track lightning after it’s gone through an area, which allows the BCWS to assess where strikes have started new fires.

“This then allows us to plan, relay that information back to the zone or fire centre and then either get crews out at night if it’s needed or first thing the next morning,” Moreira explained.

But the technology certainly isn’t just being used for scouting, as S61 pilot Fabrice Fillinger explains.

He says the NVG technology has allowed them to continue fighting priority fires at night, although they start during the day to make it a seamless transition.

According to Fillinger, starting their shift while it’s still light out allows them to “get a better picture of the whole fire, because we’ve been able to do it a little during the day and then at night.”

While NVG technology is proving to be a great tool, officials admit that they come with limitations.

Beyond the general challenge of flying at night, they have a limited field view of 40 degrees that requires an active scan at all times to paint the environment in a pilot’s brain.

The goggles also don’t pick up everything, like certain types of lighting or hazards such as wires.

There’s also a lack of depth perception and closing rates are difficult to access with the goggles, which requires pilots to scan other instruments to complete the picture.

Despite those challenges, Topflight Elite Training and Charter general manager Ian Jasmine says they’re already seeing the effectiveness of it and excited to see where it ends up.

“We’re at the point now where we’re perfecting our craft with the night vision,” he explained, noting that some crews have now logged around 600-800 hours of NVG experience away from airport environments, around mountainous terrain.

Moreira says the BCWS will debrief over the fall and winter to try and understand where the technology provides the most benefits to fire operations.

The long-term goal is to expand the program to be able to operate more regularly at night, which means more staff trained as NVG observers and more contracted pilots that can operate in the dark.