San Bernardino County Tests 1st FireSparrow Drone
Photo credit: Ponderosa.ai
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San Bernardino County Fire is stepping into new airspace, and not with another helicopter.
The department has partnered with Ponderosa.ai to pilot what they describe as the nation’s first water dropping suppression drones, as VVNG reports. The goal is simple and ambitious at the same time. Attack small fires fast. Keep them small. Win early.
In wildfire country, minutes are oxygen. Especially in the Urban Wildland Interface, where neighborhoods lean up against dry brush like a match resting on sandpaper.
FireSparrow Mk10 Takes Flight
The system at the center of this experiment is the FireSparrow Mk10, a California built heavy lift drone designed to carry up to 80 pounds.
Photo credit: Ponderosa.ai
That translates to roughly 10 gallons of water or fire retardant per flight. It can also carry hoses, pumps, or other gear depending on the mission. Think of it as a flying first responder kit with rotors.
Before and After of the Water Dropping
Each Mk10 comes equipped with onboard hardware and software that detects and maps hotspots as it flies. Data is shared instantly with nearby responders.
Photo credit: Ponderosa.ai
No app download. No internet. No GIS gymnastics. The drone becomes both firefighter and scout in one frame.
Photo credit: Ponderosa.ai
Even more interesting, the aircraft is designed to keep flying with half its batteries or motors disabled. In other words, redundancy is baked in. This is not a hobby drone with a hero complex. It is built for the messy physics of real emergencies.
Operating costs are projected at under 10,000 dollars per year, which in wildfire economics is closer to pocket change than pocket drain.
A Swarm Before the Sirens
The bigger vision is not just one drone dropping a splash of water.
Officials imagine low cost suppression systems pre positioned across high risk zones. When a fire ignites, drones launch immediately and begin knocking it down in its earliest stage, buying precious time until ground crews and engines arrive.
Photo credit: Ponderosa.ai
The concept expands further into drone swarms. Multiple aircraft detecting, mapping, and suppressing small fires in coordination. A digital bucket brigade that never gets stuck in traffic.
Chief Dan Munsey has expressed enthusiasm about piloting the system as it matures. The department is clear about one thing. These machines are not here to replace firefighters. They are tools. Airborne ones.
“Technologies don’t solve problems. People solve problems,” the department said in a statement. The tone is practical, not sci fi.
DroneXL’s Take
If this pilot works, it could quietly reshape the first five minutes of wildfire response in the United States.
Helicopters and air tankers are powerful, but they are expensive and slow to spin up. A network of pre positioned heavy lift drones that can launch in seconds feels like the logical evolution of suppression strategy.
The real question is scale. How many units will be deployed, how fast can they recharge, and how will they integrate into existing airspace during larger incidents.
Still, the idea of a small fire being met not by sirens alone, but by a swarm of autonomous water carriers descending from a nearby ridge, is hard to ignore.
In wildfire territory, small wins early can prevent billion dollar disasters later. If FireSparrow delivers on even part of its promise, this could be one of the more practical drone applications we have seen in years.
Photo credit: Ponderosa.ai