LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. –
This past week, Airmen from the 480th Intelligence Wing here along with Airmen from the 548th Intelligence Group at Beale Air Force Base, Calif., provided support to help fight the wildfires in California.
The Airmen used infrared photos from the unmanned aerial system RQ-4A Global Hawk and photographic film from the U-2, both stationed at Beale AFB, to recognize hotspots for the firefighters to concentrate their efforts.
"We were able to pinpoint over 15 different fires that were outside the known perimeter so they didn't spread," said Col. Anthony Dominice, the 480th Intelligence Wing vice commander. "We were able to identify fires encroaching upon critical installations."
Together, active-duty, Guard and Reserve Airmen from Beale and the 27th and 36th Intelligence Squadrons processed more than 500 photos off the Global Hawk and thousands of square miles of photographs from the U-2 Dragon Lady for damage assessment.
This was the first time the Global Hawk was used to support civil authorities.
"I think this underscores the capability and flexibility of the United States Air Force to support first responders," said Colonel Dominice.
Airmen at the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale piloted the Global Hawk while part of the 480th Wing team also at Beale reviewed and assessed the photos providing real-time information on fire damage direct to fire fighters via Internet chat, telephones and e-mail.
The footage was then sent to Langley in real-time for additional processing by the 27th and 36th Intelligence Squadrons. Langley then passed the photos to United States Northern Command in Colorado and direct to firefighters in Riverside County, Calif.
The colonel said the imagery was gathered under strict compliance with laws that govern intelligence activities for U.S. citizens.
"I felt privileged to have the opportunity to use my skills as an imagery analyst to be able to aid with the wildfires in California," said Airman 1st Class Joshua Blake, 36th Intelligence Squadron imagery analyst.
In addition to working with civil authorities in California, the 480th IW continued to provide support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for those in the field.
"We did all of this while still providing direct support to combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq," said Colonel Dominice. "I am very proud of the professionalism and can-do attitude that Air Combat Command's Airmen put forth to help Americans here at home."
With help from the Air Force, firefighters have helped contain the wildfires which burned 515,267 acres in Southern California.