15 April 2019

WindNinja: A Weather Station In Your Pocket

Over the years, wind shifts have caused untold damage to communities and claimed the lives of firefighters and civilians alike. Although the National Weather Service (NWS) provides regular forecasts of the weather across the country, it could never drill down to a small enough area to be useful for firefighters. Until now.

michael archer

Michael Archer

Mike Archer is a wildfire consultant who has been interviewed by CBS News, KABC-TV, USA Today, and the Associated Press on wildfire issues. Currently, he writes Wildfire News of the Day, an e-newsletter which goes out to about 10,000 people on six continents.
1 April 2019

TracPlus Customer Lynden Air Cargo, Alaska

Alaska is synonymous with aviation. Roughly a third of Alaska's population is reachable only by boat or airplane. Pilots and skippers provide a lifeline to those in the state, and many locals rely on aircrafts to get around.
27 March 2019

Saving Lives and Property: The U.S. National Fire Danger Rating System

Firefighting is a dangerous business, and in wildland firefighting, that danger takes many forms. Snags, widow makers, rockslides and rolling logs are just some of the hazards produced by wildfires. But they pale in comparison to every wildland firefighter’s nightmare scenario – getting caught in a burnover when the weather makes a sudden change.
20 March 2019

Beyond dots on a map — what does the future hold?

“Kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua - I walk into the future with my eyes fixed on my past.” As a proudly New Zealand company, we stand by the understanding that this Māori proverb connotes, that to understand where you’re headed, you need to reflect on what has come before.
11 March 2019

My Weekend with a Kamikaze Pilot

I drove up to baggage claim looking for a guy in full Samurai gear with a kamikaze headband, and found instead; a demure, hysterically deadpan funny, polite, and reserved gentleman who didn’t look like he could squish a spider.
7 March 2019

CAL FIRE Submits Report on Protecting Vulnerable Communities from Catastrophic Wildfire

Moving urgently to further protect California’s most vulnerable communities from the immediate risk of catastrophic wildfires this year, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) has recommended a suite of actions to maximize safety and improve forest health in the coming months and longer term.
4 March 2019

Copernicus: The European Union's Eye On Wildifres

As wildfires have worsened across the continent of Europe, the European Union has formulated a response which goes well beyond simply tracking wildfire activity. Their answer? Copernicus.
21 February 2019

From Scrum to Squirrel — Pilot Richie McCaw

Richie McCaw shares his journey from professional rugby player to helicopter pilot in Canterbury, New Zealand.
12 February 2019

Pete Bethune — 'You haven’t lived until you find a cause worth dying for'

To sum up what Pete does is a hard task, but his motivation is simple. Find something that is worth dying for. Meet the founder of Earthrace Conservation, activist, legend, and TracPlus Customer, Pete Bethune.

28 January 2019

Zen and the Art of Being a Pilot

After nine years of air ambulance, cargo, corporate and on-demand charter flying, I was stepping up into the airline world. I was being hired as a flight engineer on a Boeing 727-200. It was an opportunity that pilots no longer get since the third crew member has now been replaced by computers and automation, but unknowingly, it would be the flight engineer seat that taught me the most valuable lesson.