努力维护公共安全
圣地亚哥天然气 and 电 puts a premium on being prepared for emergency situations and that includes being ready to respond at a moment’s notice with the Erickson Aircrane “SkyMaverick” and the Black Hawk helicopter to increased wildfire risk that comes with Santa Ana winds, 天气炎热干燥. Both air assists are equipped to deliver a knockout punch to fires by making accurate drops in rugged, 难以到达的地形.
SkyMaverick
埃里克森空中起重机, “SkyMaverick” is a major tool in our firefighting arsenal and has the capacity to carry 2,650 gallons of water or fire suppressant – equivalent to five fire engines – and can be airborne within 15 minutes. Stationed at Gillespie Field in El Cajon, the Aircrane is available for dispatch by CAL FIRE year-round to help fight fires in San Diego and Southern Orange County and is the largest water-dropping helitanker in the country. The Aircrane even has its own 推特 channel, @SkyMaverick西班牙E, where you can get up updates on its whereabouts.
UH-60黑鹰直升机
In 2019 the company unveiled a second aerial firefighting asset, UH-60黑鹰直升机, 协助保障公共安全. The Black Hawk is available 365 days a year, 已经签订了整年的合同, rapid response dispatch by CAL FIRE and can fly up to 140 mph with a tank of water while en route to a fire. It holds 850 gallons of water and refills in 45 seconds.
Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) program
2014年，可持续发展目标&E became one of the first utilities in the nation to receive clearance from the Federal Aviation Administration to begin testing UAS for research, 发展和培训. 从那时起, we have deployed drones for many uses to ensure safe and reliable service during wildfires, 风暴和其他紧急情况. The versatility of drones provides field crews with eyes in the sky to improve inspections of electric and gas lines, particularly in areas that are off-limits to helicopters or difficult to access by other means.
无人机技术的优势
一个“无人飞行系统”, 或无人驾驶飞机, gives ground-based operators a bird’s eye view of power lines, 植被, construction projects and wildfires – all without deploying work crews or heavy equipment. They can save time, reduce risk to workers, and avoid environmentally sensitive habitat. Plus, they’re battery-operated for zero emissions.
你知道吗??
西班牙&E was the first utility in the nation granted approval by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to research, test and train flight crews on UAS.
Since 2014, we’ve deployed drones to:
- Conduct aerial inspections of electric and gas facilities, including emergency response damage assessments.
- Pinpoint the causes of power outages.
- Access infrastructure in remote areas that are difficult for ground crews or helicopters to reach.
- 帮助在崎岖地区串接电缆.
- Check 植被 management and construction work done by third parties.
- 监测森林火灾.
We’re enhancing and expanding our efforts to reduce wildfire risk and taking every possible step to ensure that our customers and communities are safe--during wildfire season and every season.
了解更多 about the history and progress of 西班牙&E’s Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) program in the following news releases.