- January 18, 2025
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Flagler County Land Management successfully completed a 46-acre prescribed fire on Jan. 21 at Princess Place Preserve, but despite meticulous planning, it was not the launch of FireFlight as a tool of Flagler County’s mitigation program. A broken connector for the aerial ignition machine prevented it.
“To say this was a disappointment for us is an understatement,” said Prescribed Fire Program Supervisor Mike Orlando, who was “burn boss” for the day. “While we still accomplished our goal, we had been working toward this day – utilizing FireFlight and the PLDO (aerial ignition machine) to make our process safer and faster – for a very long time.” Orlando explained that the aerial ignition machine "releases spheres that create a chemical reaction to start the fire,” which is "a much better way to start a prescribed fire.”
Orlando, who has an Aerial Ignition Device certification through the Florida Forest Service, was to have operated the machine from within the helicopter – flown by Flight Operations Chief Dana Morris.
“I’ve flown these missions in the western United States, and was truly grateful to be part of the team to do this here,” Morris said.
The team included members of Flagler County Fire Rescue, the Florida Forest Service, and the Florida Park Service. They worked from the ground to ensure the prescribed fire was completed as scheduled.
“There has been great cooperation between agencies,” said Fire Rescue Lt. Brady Barry, the lead for Flagler County’s wildfire suppression team. “These prescribed fires remove the fuel load – something you want to do to reduce risk of extremely hot, fast-moving wildfires.”
Flagler County’s goal with prescribed fire in Princess Place Preserve is to restore natural fire back into ecosystems and remove hazards fuels. Longleaf pine already exists in the area of today’s burn – which mimics the natural fires that have historically occurred every two to three years within longleaf pine ecosystems. A thriving ecosystem reduces the invasive species populations while enhancing other native plants and animals.
