Last week, a new report landed that I keep thinking about. IQAir analysed air quality data from 9,446 cities across 143 countries. Their conclusion: only 13 countries in the world currently breathe air that meets World Health Organisation (WHO) safety guidelines. In Europe, that's just three: Andorra, Estonia, and Iceland.

91 per cent of countries fell short. And the situation is getting worse, not better.

The report points to one of the fastest-growing contributors to poor air quality: wildfire smoke. 2025 was the worst wildfire year on EU record. Blazes swept across Europe through the summer, destroying farms, woodlands, and homes. The world's 25 most polluted cities were all located in India, Pakistan, and China. And across the globe, extreme weather caused at least €43 billion in short-term economic losses.

I've seen this up close.

We've been working with Bombeiros Portugal, Portugal's national fire brigade, for several years now. Portugal consistently faces some of the most destructive wildfire seasons in Europe. The Bombeiros operate under enormous pressure: vast terrain, fast-moving fires, limited situational awareness, and crews on the ground who need accurate information immediately.

That's exactly where drone technology changes the equation.

With drones deployed as part of a coordinated aerial response, fire commanders gain real-time visibility of fire fronts, wind behaviour, and areas at risk. Crews can be positioned more accurately. Evacuations can be triggered faster. Decisions that used to be made on incomplete information are now made with a live operational picture overhead.

The Bombeiros are already doing this.

The link between wildfires and air quality is direct. Fine particulate matter from smoke, known as PM2.5, is one of the most harmful pollutants we know of. Particles smaller than 2.5 micrometres travel deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream. They're linked to respiratory disease, cardiovascular conditions, and long-term illness. When a major wildfire burns for days, the effects on air quality extend hundreds of kilometres beyond the fire itself.

Containing fires faster isn't just an operational win. It's a public health intervention.

At AirHub, we build the software that makes drone operations structured, compliant, and scalable. Whether that's a single drone team supporting a local fire brigade or a national Drone as a First Responder (DFR) programme, the underlying need is the same: reliable coordination, clear data, and the ability to act quickly when conditions change.

The IQAir report is a reminder that air quality is a safety issue. One that gets worse every time a major wildfire goes uncontrolled for too long.

The technology to respond more effectively already exists. What it needs is the infrastructure to deploy it at scale.

That's the work we're doing, together with teams like the Bombeiros, every year.

Thomas Brinkman is co-founder and co-CEO of AirHub, drone operations software for public safety, critical infrastructure, and security organisations worldwide.

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