Coulson Aviation advances EmberWorks innovation division focused on aerial firefighting technology

Coulson Aviation is moving forward with EmberWorks, a dedicated innovation division created to develop new capabilities for aerial firefighting, aviation, and emergency response. The division was first introduced at the Aerial Fire Fighting Global Conference in Rome earlier this year and is structured around operational challenges rather than a fixed technology portfolio, giving Coulson's problem-driven development approach a formal organizational home.

Stu Sprung, vice president of EmberWorks, said the fire service needs information and tools that fit how people actually operate on an incident, and that the division can start with an operational problem, work with the people experiencing it, develop a solution, and evaluate it in the field. Among EmberWorks' current programs is ORBIT, an airborne sensing and mission technology intended to make operational aircraft active contributors to incident intelligence, with initial systems installed aboard two tactical aerial supervision aircraft and additional applications being implemented for Coulson's C-130 and 737 airtankers and helicopter platforms.

EmberWorks is also advancing suppression science through Coulson Fire Retardant, beginning with CFR HALO, aimed at improving burn resistance, coverage consistency, aircraft compatibility, operational efficiency, and operating margins for flight crews. Britt Coulson, president and COO of Coulson Aviation, said the company has the aircraft, operators, technical expertise, and operational environment to develop and test new ideas internally, creating a direct path from identifying a problem to proving a solution. Coulson plans to introduce additional programs and partnerships as they reach development, testing, and operational milestones, with initial programs focused on wildfire challenges shared by agencies worldwide.