St. Paul company's water scooping floats help fight wildfires in northern Minnesota
Twin Cities company helps wildfire efforts
A St. Paul company is helping fight wildfires in northern Minnesota. FOX 9’s Maury Glover shows us the new water scooping system that can shave critical minutes off of firefighting efforts.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - A St. Paul-based company is taking wildfire fighting to new heights with a water scooping system designed for Minnesota’s lakes.
Momentum Aeronautics’ new technology speeds up firefighting
What we know:
Momentum Aeronautics has developed an apparatus called Heatwave Floats, which lets pilots scoop up 800 gallons of water from nearby lakes in about 15 seconds before dropping it on wildfires.
The floats are made from carbon fiber and work like pontoons, with a built-in scooping system.
Company president Dan Garrett said, "It's a tremendous efficiency improvement in terms of putting water on a fire. The faster that you can respond to that wildfire with water to start to dissipate some of the energy, the quicker you can get it under control."
The system allows pilots to make up to 25 water drops an hour, compared to just two drops an hour when filling the plane on land. The floats are also longer and lighter than similar products, which Garrett says makes the aircraft more stable and the process safer for pilots.
Garrett said, "The difference between getting out of something and ending up upside down on the water can be a very small margin. And so giving pilots the largest possible margin we can has really been our goal from day one."
'Safety is a really important driver'
What they're saying:
So far this year, Momentum Aeronautics has installed Heatwave Floats on three planes. One of those planes is still helping fight the Flanders Fire in northern Minnesota while the two others are helping put out wildfires in Oregon.
Garrett said, "That's a very rewarding feeling to see that you've delivered something that's doing a real job in the real world. So I'm absolutely hoping to see more in the skies of Minnesota, absolutely."
Momentum Aeronautics plans to outfit 10 to 20 planes a year with Heatwave Floats by 2028. The company is also developing floats for other types of planes and hopes to introduce those in the next two years.
'Demand seems to be increasing year over year'
Local perspective:
Minnesota’s reputation as the land of 10,000 lakes is now helping fight wildfires in a new way.
The Heatwave Floats use local lakes as a resource, making it possible to respond to fires faster and more efficiently. The technology is already making an impact in Minnesota and beyond, with plans for even broader use in the coming years.
With wildfires becoming a growing concern in Minnesota and across the country, new tools like the Heatwave Floats could change how quickly and safely fires are fought from the air. The ability to make more water drops per hour and improve pilot safety could make a real difference for communities facing wildfire threats.