Fire Dozer Training

Alabama Forestry Commission (AFC) wildland firefighter Jason Berry teaches research scientist James Thompson how to drive a fire dozer during a stakeholder event April 23-24, 2026 in Andalusia, AL. NASA FireSense scientists have been working with the AFC to integrate thermal sensors onto these dozers, which notify the dozer operator if the radiant heat from a nearby fire reaches a dangerous threshold. Thompson, who is jointly funded by the University of Texas at Austin and NASA's Earth Science Technology Office, is the principal investigator on a thermal infrared imager called FireTIRS, which the team is evaluating to integrate onto the fire dozers in late 2026.