Bridger Aerospace

Bridger Aerospace is an American aerospace company which provides aerial firefighting and wildfire management services. At the Martin Fire in Nevada in 2018, it was the first private company to legally fly a drone over a wildfire. History The company was founded in 2014 by Tim Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL who utilized airborne surveillance during the Global War on Terror and desired to apply that same capability to public safety tasks. Initially, Sheehy operated one plane to assist ranchers with tracking their cattle from the air. Starting in the 2015 wildfire season, he shifted the company's focus to aerial firefighting. In 2018, Bridger was one of four companies awarded a contract with the United States Department of the Interior to use drones in emergency situations, including wildfires. Under the contract, the company was granted permission to fly a drone over a wildfire. It became the first private company to legally do so when it used its drones to fly over wildfires during the Martin Fire in Nevada, mapping 435,000 acres of burned land in 11 flight runs. By August 2019 the company had grown to a fleet of 20 aircraft and a staff of 100.