Department makes strides in latest firefighting technology

HOPE — Drones, boats, islands, retirement and new faces. A lot is happening at the Sam Owen Fire District as it approaches its 15th anniversary in August.

The department began looking at drone technology two summers ago after the Sam Owen fire crew spent two hours driving around, looking for a fire that, as it turned out, did not exist.

After the vain attempt, SOFD fire commissioners approved the purchase of a 3DR solo drone in May 2016, and the district acquired it in September.

"We have been lucky enough we haven't had to use it, per se, on an actual engagement," said Deputy Chief Stu Eigler. "We've done mock engagements, but we've not had to use it specifically — that can change at any moment." 

The drone, in combination with a fireboat purchased from Selkirk Fire, Rescue and EMS last year, will allow Sam Owen personnel quick and accurate response to Warren Island, which was recently annexed by SOFD.

About 40 structures are located on Warren Island, and Eileen Klatt, Sam Owen's public information officer, said 37 people signed a petition in favor of the annexation.

"It was very strong support," Klatt said. "... Everybody is really, really delighted."

Klatt said SOFD personnel are committed to providing effective service to those on the island. Without the fireboat, the crew would not have that opportunity.

The 25-foot fireboat has had some upgrades since it left Sandpoint. It has been re-powered with two new engines — 200 horsepower Honda engines, which are more reliable, less polluted, quieter and more fuel efficient than the old engines, said Fire Chief Bob Wathen. The old Yamahas were only 2-stroke, while the new ones are 4-stroke. 

The fireboat is equipped with two monitors that are not only useful when the boat is deployed on a fire, but it can also be used to fill the water tenders to transport water to fires. Since the only hydrants in the area are located in the cities of Hope and East Hope, the department has recently begun installing "dry hydrants," which draw water from the lake year round. The fireboat will be used to respond to emergencies on Warren Island, as well as anywhere else on the lake the crew might be needed for fire or rescue.

"It is a very flexible tool we can use for multiple reasons," said incoming fire chief, Jeff Wilkins.

There are three commercial marinas in the Hope area, as well as a few smaller ones. Two of the commercial marinas have fueling stations, so boat fires are a "big issue" in the district Klatt said, and the foam capability on the boat will come in useful in those situations as well.

"I don't know if you've ever seen a boat catch on fire, it's like a fire bomb when they go off," Klatt said. "... It happens really fast."

The drone will be instrumental on Warren Island and in other emergencies as well. It has a range of 2.5 miles can reach speeds of up to 55 mph, though Eigler said he keeps it in the mid-30s. Eigler is the primary operator of the drone. A licensed pilot or unmanned aircraft systems license through the Federal Aviation Administration is required to operate a drone. An operator accompanied by a licensed pilot can operate it as well. Eigler is working on his UAS license, and two licensed pilots are on the Sam Owen team.

The drone is equipped with an infrared camera, as well as a visual camera with video capability. The drone only holds one camera at a time, but Eigler purchased his own drone identical to the Sam Owen drone. If he is called out to use the drone, he plans to bring both so he can have the advantage of both camera styles.

The infrared camera was the most expensive part of the drone at about $3,200, Eigler said. The entire setup was purchased for around $5,000, but as Klatt pointed out — if it saves a life or prevents a wildfire, it pays for itself.

Wathen said the drone is not only going to be helpful in detecting fires, it will be instrumental in finding people as well. He said a motorcycle accident near the station on Highway 200 had teams out looking for the motorcyclist, who was nowhere to be found.

"Lo and behold, they pinged his cellphone and he was somewhere on the other side of Hope," Wathen said, adding the man had gotten a ride from someone.

The infrared camera on the drone would have quickly revealed no one was in the ditch near the site of the accident. It can also be used to detect fire at night when smoke can't be seen or spot a fire hiding behind trees. The infrared is so sensitive, Eigler said, that in a local field which had recently been harrowed, it could detect the difference in heat between the tops and bottoms of the rows. The drone itself is "very sophisticated" on its own as well, he said.

"If it goes far enough that it loses signal, it comes back," Eigler said. "It does all these calculations behind the scenes, so it should, theoretically, come back to where it took off — which is one reason why you don't want to take it off from the boat, and then move the boat."

So if there were a fire on Warren Island, Eigler would take it out to the island and launch it from there.

SOFD is a first responder for the Idaho Department of Lands, Klatt said. The fireboat can be used for that purpose as well, to fight wildfires along the shoreline, and Eigler said IDL has also expressed interest in collaborating with the department for use of the drone technology. SOFD has mutual-aid agreements with other departments as well, including Clark Fork and Selkirk, so the crew can go anywhere on the lake they are needed with the fireboat.

"(The fireboat) gives us such capability that we didn't have before," Wilkins said. "And hopefully it can assist in lowering the insurance cost for some of the people on the island by providing that service to them in a way they haven't had before." 

SOFD is a volunteer department and is currently made up of 21 team members who train on a regular basis to keep their skills sharp, as well as learn new ones. The department is always looking for new volunteers, Eigler said.

Wathen has been the fire chief since the department was established in 2002, and is retiring July 31. Wilkins recently came to the department from Southern California, where he spent 35 years in the fire service. He was originally going to retire, but when he learned Wathen was retiring and there was an opening for a fire chief in North Idaho, he decided to apply for the job.

Although Wathen will no longer be active as a firefighter and chief, he will continue to serve the district as a fire commissioner.

"I can tell by the staff who was with him and the volunteers, he's been well respected as a fire chief here for the last 15 years, so I got some big shoes to step into to keep the same thing going that he started here," Wilkins said.

Mary Malone can be reached by email at mmalone@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.