Looks like those Cory visits may start to bear Fruit... It's certainly a start (Remember the ASTI & Silent Falcon visits?)
01.16.18 Gardner, Cantwell Introduce Legislation to Modernize Firefighting Technology
This bill will increase firefighter safety by requiring the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior to begin providing GPS locations for crews on wildfires and to begin using Unmanned Aircraft Systems to scout out and map wildfires in real-time. Wildfire Today refers to the simultaneous use of mapping aircraft and GPS locators as the ‘Holy Grail’ of firefighter safety.
“Our firefighters in Colorado and around the country risk everything to protect our communities and it is our duty to make sure they have every possible tool at their disposal to safely fight wildfires,” said Gardner. “The Center of Excellence for Advanced Technology Aerial Firefighting in Colorado develops cutting-edge technologies and this legislation will compliment those efforts. I will work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to make sure this important, common-sense bill becomes law.”