The pilot Anton Brynolfsson and his colleague and scout Per Jonasson from the Umeå flying club are out on an almost three-hour flight route over the eastern parts of Västerbotten during Tuesday.
The flights are carried out on behalf of the County Administrative Board and take place in collaboration with the authority for public safety and preparedness MSB, SOS Alarm and the Rescue Service.
Detected 119 fires last year
In Västerbotten, the flying clubs in Umeå and Skellefteå are called in when it’s time for scouting.
– Internal commanders decide whether there will be a fire flight, depending on the fire risk, says Anton Brynolfsson.
During 2023, 5,186 flight hours were completed throughout Sweden, which cost SEK 18.5 million. During these hours, 119 forest fires were detected.
The flying clubs that carry out the fire flights are compensated, but not the pilots.