JACKSON, Miss. – The Mississippi Forestry Commission (MFC) remotely-deployed Brian Mitchell to serve as an Infrared Interpreter for National Infrared Operations (NIROPS). Infrared Interpreters do not physically deploy to a particular wildfire incident. Instead, they work remotely to support major wildfires nationwide. Their job is to work through the night mapping fire perimeters, isolated heat sources, and intense and scattered heat. This information is provided to each incident they are supporting, in time for the daily morning briefing. Two airplanes are utilized to gather data, a Cessna Citation Bravo II jet, and a Beechcraft Super King Air 200 turboprop; both equipped with Phoenix thermal scanners. Mitchell currently serves the Mississippi Forestry Commission as the Geographic Information Systems Program Director. Mitchell is working night shifts as anInfrared Interpreter with NIROPS for approximately two weeks.
“In recent years, great strides have been made regarding the use of technology as wildfire suppression tools,” said Charlie Morgan, State Forester. “Wildland Firefighters depend on the support of people with many different roles and skill sets to manage the logistics of wildfire incidents behind the scenes. Thanks to the work of Infrared Interpreters such as Brian, incident management teams can form better attack-strategies based on mapping data from thermal scanners.”
As of September 10, 2018, three MFC employees are actively assigned to various wildfire incidents as single resources.
To learn more about the Mississippi Forestry Commission, please visit our website and follow us on social media: YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
To view this release online: http://bit.ly/MitchellRemoteDeploy
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About the Mississippi Forestry Commission
Established in 1926, the Mississippi Forestry Commission (MFC) protects the state’s valuable 19.8 million acres of forestland from wildfire, manages approximately 480,000 acres of forested School Trust Land, and delivers quality forest management services and assistance to both rural and urban landowners. Our mission is to provide active leadership in forest protection, forest management, forest inventory, and effective forest information distribution, necessary for Mississippi's sustainable forest-based economy. Mississippi's forestry and forest products industries have a $12.79 billion economic impact and employ almost 70,000 people. Forestry consistently ranks as the state’s second most valuable agricultural commodity, right behind the poultry industry. The MFC looks forward to the continued privilege of caring for Mississippi’s trees, forests, and natural resources.
Mississippi Forestry Commission Media Contact
Brighton Forester
bforester@mfc.ms.gov
(601) 500-0489