Los Angeles County Fire Department - Forestry

INFRARED

if mapping

INFRA-RED SYSTEM

The Forestry Division has improved our Infra Red Program by adding a high technology mapping system and a data processing vehicle. The Infra Red System consists of an aerial platform and a mobile ground station. The aerial platform is located in Los Angeles County Fire Department’s Copter 10, a Bell 206 Jet Ranger, equipped with an infra red scanning camera alongside a mounted video camera, a geo-referenced mapping system and a high gain downlink system. The mobile ground station is located on a modified FL80 Freightliner Truck equipped with an auto-tracking downlink system, a geo-referenced mapping system, and several output devices such as large and small format plotters for paper media and video playback equipment for intelligence post processing and incident briefings.

IF Camera

WESCAM 16DS-A CAMERA

The unit consists of both a color and an infrared camera. The Dual Sensor systems provide high-resolution television images along with thermal imaging. With active gyro-stabilization in four axes and vibration isolation in six axes, the system produces crystal clear images from the aircraft. The system allows the observer to view targets both in the daytime and infra red during periods of limited visibility such as fire, smoke, haze, darkness, smog, light fog and mist. The unit has a hand controller which remotely operates the system from within the aircraft via a color monitor and a VCR. The system was permanently installed in the Department’s Copter 10, a Bell 206 Helicopter, by the Department’s Helicopter Maintenance personnel.

if ground system

NAVITRAK MAPPING SYSTEM

The tactical moving and situational mapping software is loaded on a tablet computer and rapidly processes the situational data. The helicopter longitude and latitude, elevation, speed, pitch, yaw and roll are calculated. Also, the system measures the camera angle, rotation and distance to the ground. The real-time differentially corrected GPS aircraft position and camera viewing area are displayed on highly accurate and technical maps with embedded digital elevation data. It is a cost effective situational mapping system that has the capability of integrating a full range of required features for planning, executing and analyzing incident operations by transmitting the data and images directly to the Infra Red vehicle. Incident Command Staff can view live video on a 40 inch LCD monitor.

The Forestry Division is responsible for managing the Infra Red Program in cooperation with the Air Operations Section. These devices provide firefighters and Incident Command Staff with real-time intelligence to support incident tactics and objectives.

IF Truck

IF MAPPING GROUND UNIT VEHICLE