Wildfire Monitoring; Information on the Organization of Aerial Surveillance

Aerial surveillance is generally conducted on weekends and holidays. The task of the aerial surveillance teams is to detect forest fires as early as possible, pinpoint the exact location of the fire, and report this to the Integrated Control Center (ILS) via digital radio. The ILS then immediately alerts the responsible fire departments to respond to the fire. Information gathered from the air helps guide both the fire departments’ response and their firefighting operations.

The state governments and district administrative authorities are responsible for organizing the surveillance flights and handling the administrative aspects. 

The aerial observation flights are conducted by volunteer pilots from the Luftrettungsstaffel Bayern e.V. Spread across 32 bases, over 300 pilots with 150 airplanes and 5 helicopters are available in Bavaria. During mandated flights, the pilots are supported by trained aerial observers from civil protection agencies, the forestry administration, or the district administrative authorities, forming an aerial observation team.

During periods of severe drought, surveillance flights are conducted regularly. For this reason, the deployment of aerial observers can usually be planned in advance. However, aerial observers can also be called into action in the event of major fires, floods, environmental disasters, or other large-scale emergencies. While on duty in the observation aircraft or helicopter, they are connected to ground personnel via BOS radio and can thus relay important information or direct emergency responders from the air.

Operational pilots and aerial observers receive specialized training for their duties. Selection for training as an official aerial observer is based on need and is carried out by the responsible local disaster control authority. The group of individuals eligible for this role includes managers from district offices and independent cities, fire departments, the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW), and forestry agencies. All aerial observers undergo rigorous, demanding training and continuing education at the State Fire Academy in Würzburg. In addition, they must complete theoretical and practical continuing education at the district level at least twice a year.