UAFA 2025: TracPlus explains how data is reshaping US wildfire aviation

TracPlus executive Todd O’Hara discusses the major challenges highlighted at UAFA 2025 and outlines how agencies are using data, technology and modernised systems to improve aerial wildfire response

The United Aerial Firefighters Association (UAFA) held its 2025 Annual Conference in Boise, Idaho, bringing together aerial firefighting operators, agency leaders and technology providers to examine the state of aerial wildfire operations in the United States.

The programme focused on operational readiness, technology modernisation, workforce issues and the rapid evolution of mission intelligence solutions shaping the sector’s future.

Following the event, International Fire and Safety Journal spoke with Todd O’Hara, Chief Product and Revenue Officer at TracPlus, about the themes that dominated this year’s discussions and the role of integrated, real-time data during complex wildfire response.

What are the key themes or challenges that shaped discussions at this year’s UAFA Conference, particularly around aerial firefighting operations?

One major theme is the reality that a lot of aviation and aerial firefighting systems are decades old.

In many cases, the people who built them are no longer around, and the institutional knowledge has gone with them.

That contributes to inefficiencies, data gaps and weaker mission outcomes.

A second theme is the need for real-time operational intelligence.

Agencies need cleaner, more actionable data so they can coordinate better, reduce waste and respond more effectively in high-stakes environments.

Safety and accident prevention is another big focus.

Accidents almost never happen “out of the blue”, there is usually a pattern or chain of events leading up to them.

With the right tools, you can surface non-compliant behaviour before something goes wrong, and that safety lens is part of a lot of discussions.

How is TracPlus evolving its platform to support decision-making and crew safety during complex wildfire response efforts?

We have evolved from our roots as a hardware tracking provider to a SaaS-first company focused on delivering operational intelligence at scale.

A key step in that evolution is FireFlyte, our enterprise platform for aerial firefighting agencies and operators.

It turns raw operational data into actionable insights across four areas: Aerial Firefighting, Safety and Risk Management, Operations and Finance.

A concrete example is CAL FIRE’s new Aviation Tracking and Information System (CATIS), powered by FireFlyte.

CATIS replaces their legacy internal system and the support risks that go along with it.

It gives them faster access to critical information, more efficient aircraft deployment and mission insights and analytics with greater speed and accuracy.

Underpinning it with FireFlyte also provides a platform for more connected processes internally across pre-, during and post-mission activities, where training connects to operations and learning from every mission.

Overall, the goal is real-time, integrated operational intelligence that improves decision-making and safety during complex incidents.

Are there any updates or developments in your US strategy?

Our work with CAL FIRE is proof for us that we are making a meaningful difference where it matters.

They are a flagship customer in the US and a major endorsement of our approach.

CAL FIRE’s CATIS programme shows our ability to replace ageing, home-grown systems with modern, scalable cloud software tailored to aerial firefighting.

We can support fire management operations of all sizes around the world, but FireFlyte, the underlying platform that drives CATIS, positions us to work effectively with large, complex US agencies in a few specific ways.

It helps move them off legacy systems and manual processes.

It supports standardisation on a cloud-based platform.

It enables mission-critical operations to scale across multiple bases and fleets.

Thinking about the conversations we had at UAFA, there’s a general agreement that this is the direction everyone wants to go. Everyone wants to find ways to achieve better outcomes, and we can see a path forward where a foundation based on FireFlyte can modernise other US programmes over time.

From your perspective, where are agencies and operators seeing the most value from real-time tracking and mission intelligence data?

There are a few clear areas where value shows up quickly.

One is operational coordination and efficiency, because cleaner, more actionable data improves coordination, reduces waste and makes resource deployment more effective.

Another is visibility into operations and outcomes.

A lot of the market has historically been “dots on a map”, but the bigger shift is towards understanding mission outcomes, resource utilisation and operational patterns.

Safety is also a major value area.

Using data to identify non-compliant behaviour and risk indicators before they lead to incidents is where data becomes genuinely lifesaving.

Finally, there is proactive decision-making.

With the depth of historical and real-time data we have, agencies can start to anticipate resource needs and optimise deployments based on how a mission is evolving, not just what has already happened.

In short, the most value is where data directly supports coordination, safety and faster, better decisions in the field.

What emerging operational or technological trends should wildfire agencies be preparing for over the next few seasons?

One trend is the shift from basic tracking to full operational intelligence.

The move is from “where is the aircraft?” to “how effective are we being?”, with an emphasis on mission effectiveness, patterns and utilisation, not just positions.

A second trend is proactive mission planning.

Using historical and real-time data, plus machine learning and AI, agencies can move from reactive to proactive operations by anticipating resource requirements, optimising deployment strategies and identifying challenges before they affect the mission.

Integrated safety and compliance tools are also becoming more important, including real-time safety monitoring, automated compliance reporting and stronger documentation for operational accountability and regulatory requirements.

There is also the continued modernisation of legacy systems.

Many agencies will need to replace decades-old, manually driven systems with modern, cloud-based platforms

The overarching theme is that the agencies who will lead over the next few seasons are the ones that treat technology and data as the foundation of operational excellence, not just as a supporting tool.