Table 2 Elicitation summary of the experts’ average lowest, highest and most likely (bold) mean and range (in italics) estimates (to 1dp) of cost-benefit percentage change in wildland fire management activities for status quo (i.e. helicopters) and potential RPA use in monitoring of forest and rural fires

Cost–Benefit in terms of area burned

−0.7

6.3

14.9

4.7

8.6

14.1

10.2

15.2

21.0

8.5

17.4

26.0

−10–5

0–15

5–25

0–25

2–25

4–28

3–50

5–52

7–55

−20–53

−10–62

0–67

Cost–Benefit in terms of fire suppression costs

1.4

8.0

14.5

5.9

12.4

17.7

11.2

22.8

35.8

7.9

19.8

29.3

0–5

0–15

0–25

0–25

6–25

9–28

0–50

10–52

10–52

−20–53

−10–62

0–67

Cost–Benefit in terms of fatalities

0.1

1.6

3.1

2.8

5.0

8.3

3.5

7.7

12.0

2.5

7.0

10.7

−2–5

0–5

0–7.5

0–10

1–15

2–20

0–10

1.5–30

2–40

0–10

1–30

2–50

Cost–Benefit in terms of injuries

0.5

2.2

5.2

2.0

4.7

7.9

4.2

7.0

11.8

3.5

7.1

10.5

−2–5

0–10

0–20

0–10

1–25

2–30

0–20

1.3–30

2.5–45

0–20

1–30

2–45