Enhancing vision at BC Wildfire Service

Describer: From inside a helicopter cockpit, we see wildfire smoke over forested landscape.

Neal McLoughlin, wearing a blue and orange jacket over a dark grey dress shirt, stands in a forested clearing.

Neal McLoughlin: There’s a lot of hype that AI is going to solve all the messy problems of the world.

Describer: A white subtitle fades in and out in the bottom right corner that says “Neal McLoughlin, Superintendent of Predictive Services, BC Wildfire Service.”

Neal McLoughlin: That’s not going to happen, but that doesn’t mean we’re not using AI in a transparent and responsible manner to improve public safety of our first responders.

Describer: A group of about 50 first responders, many wearing orange shirts or blue jackets, are briefed standing circled in the forest. In the background are parked pickup trucks and a camper that reads “Mobile Treatment Centre.”

In his office, Neal wears a blue dress shirt and reviews a map of wildfire data on his computer monitor. On the wall are various patches, a calendar, a whiteboard and photos of outdoor environments.

Neal McLoughlin: And the best example of that is how we’re using machine learning and satellite imagery to update the perimeter of an active wildfire.

Describer: On his screen, the red wildfire area grows larger.

Now in the forest, Neal walks through a dry clearing.

Neal McLoughlin: My name is Neal McLoughlin. I’m the Superintendent of Predictive Services for BC Wildfire Service.

Describer: Back in the office, Neal walks through a doorway.

Later, Neal and two other workers sit at a table and review a circular bar chart.

Neal McLoughlin: I don’t think AI will ever replace human intuition, but I am interested in how we can bring the power of data science and artificial intelligence to support the people that are making very quick, rapid decisions in a changing work environment.

Describer: In a parking lot, three first responders wearing blue caps and orange shirts read from a clip board and their phones. The patch on one shirt reads “Quesnel Fire Zone.”

Later, a group of six first responders in orange shirts and hard hats step further into the forest.

In the office, Neal sits in front of his desk. A set of seven color coded-binders are on the nearby table, and his three monitors display the BC Wildfire website and a map of B.C.

Neal McLoughlin: The biggest challenge that we face in modern fire agencies is…

Describer: We see rapid cuts of footage from various wildfires.

Neal McLoughlin: …capturing and updating our fire perimeters so that we know at any given time where a fire is and where it’s headed.

Describer: Inside a tent, one first responder in a black jacket and cap speaks to the rest of the group and refers to a pair of maps on a stand.

Neal McLoughlin: Some of our fires are hundreds of thousands of hectares in size, thousands of kilometres in perimeter.

Describer: Aerial footage shows massive amounts of flame and smoke on the mountains and coast.

An orange helicopter hovers in slow motion. A close-up shows tree branches burning.

A blue helicopter flies close to a large fire. From inside, the helicopter takes a tight turn over the smoke.

Neal McLoughlin: Traditionally, we would send aircraft up using a geographic position system to capture that boundary, but using helicopters to tightline a fire perimeter, flying at low altitudes, close to the ground, is simply not safe.

Describer: In a tent, two first responders wearing red shirts and blue caps in mid-conversation look concerned, hands on chins. In the background, a large map is pinned up.

Neal McLoughlin: We can’t do it that way anymore.

Describer: On a laptop in the tent, red satellite imagery can be seen overlaying a map of the area.

Neal McLoughlin: What we’re doing now is, we’re using satellite imagery to observe what fires are doing.

Describer: In an office, Ashlin Richardson wears a blue shirt and knit scarf, and types on a laptop keyboard. Visible out the window are trees and a residential home across the street.

On the screen, wildfire data appears as a 3D visualization.

Ashlin Richardson: My name is Ashlin Richardson. I’m a senior data scientist with BC Wildfire Service.

In the same room, Ashlin speaks to the camera. A white subtitle fades in and out in the bottom left corner that says “Ashlin Richardson, Senior Data Scientist, BC Wildfire Service.”

Ashlin Richardson: I’ve written a number of novel machine learning algorithms to map fire perimeters and help improve our situational awareness.

Describer: On the laptop screen, Ashlin types code in green on a black background. Next to the code is a black-and-white satellite image.

Ashlin Richardson: We’re using the shortwave infrared frequencies of Sentinel-2 to create an accurate delineation of active fire and burned areas.

Describer: On the laptop screen, a 3D map of a mountainous area loads gradually, and several orange spots indicating the fires appear.

Back in Neal’s office, the interview continues in front of his desk.

Neal McLoughlin: And as we do that, we can get more frequent updates, and we can do it in a safer way where we’re not putting our personnel on aircraft, and it frees up those aircraft to be used for suppression efforts and public safety measures.

Describer: A white and blue helicopter drops red powder onto a forested area bordering a town.

In the office, Neal and a team member walk past a wall of 16 framed vintage wildfire prevention posters. The visible ones say “A trash fire can burn more than trash,” “Smokey’s friends don’t play with matches — only you can prevent forest fires,” “Matches are not for children!!” and “Fire law May 1 – Oct. 31.”

Standing near a window looking out on the forest, Neal scrolls on a smartphone.

Neal McLoughlin: Throughout my career I’ve seen many new technologies introduced into my line of work.

Describer: In a common area, Neal reads from a laptop with a worker in a blue shirt that says “BC Wildfire Service” and a cap that says “British Columbia FireSmart.” A bulletin board in the background is covered in printouts, badges and children’s letters.

Neal McLoughlin: But one thing that’s unique about wildfire is that many people stay in this career path for a long period of time gaining experience and understanding how their actions translate to outcomes.

Describer: In the forest, one first responder passes a rolled firehose to another. A first responder wearing sunglasses and a hardhat whose nametag reads “Structure Protection Specialist” points off camera. Two first responders in hardhats speak to each other.

Neal McLoughlin: That is only obtainable through lived experience, and that, we can never replace with artificial intelligence.

Describer: Neal walks through the forest and out of frame. The scene fades to a white screen with the BC Public Service logo and the slogan “Where ideas work.”