FIRE SERVICE / SEARCH & RESCUE

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), commonly referred to as drones, can give your organization a cutting edge in firefighting and emergency operations. Drones are becoming increasingly integral in public safety work, but as with most technologies, departments can be slow to adopt. This is unfortunate since drones can save both resources and money while maximizing the safety of your personnel. Drones are proving to be reliable tools that have many notable advantages.

• • Aerial reconnaissance: Drones are equipped with powerful cameras that can provide detailed aerial images of the fire location, allowing command personnel to quickly identify the location and extent of the fire, and plan their response accordingly.
  • Cost-effective: Drones are less expensive to operate than traditional aircraft and can be used for a variety of tasks, such as search and rescue, reconnaissance, and mapping.
  • Deployable in seconds: Drones can assess an entire scene quickly, often well before other vehicles arrive.
  • Faster response times: Drones can quickly reach areas that are difficult or impossible for firefighters to access, reducing response times and increasing the chances of saving lives and property.
  • Improved intelligence: Drones can be equipped with thermal imaging cameras and other sensors that can detect heat sources and hot spots, providing valuable information for firefighting operations.
  • Increased safety: Drones can be used to assess dangerous situations without putting firefighters at risk.
  • Improved situational awareness: Drones have assisted police officers, firefighters, and emergency responders gain situational awareness and forensic intel to make informed decisions on site in real time.
  • Night operations: Drones can be equipped with night vision cameras and other sensors that allow for operation in low-light conditions, increasing the effectiveness of firefighting operations at night.

Drones equipped with Infrared technology can be beneficial for the fire service in several ways:

• • Early detection: Infrared cameras can detect heat signatures, which means that they can detect fires even before they are visible to the naked eye. This can help fire services to respond to fires more quickly and potentially prevent them from spreading.
  • Monitoring: Drones equipped with infrared cameras can be used to monitor the progress of a fire and provide real-time information on its location, size, and intensity. This can help fire services to make more informed decisions about how to tackle a fire.
  • Search and Rescue: Drones equipped with infrared cameras can be used to search for people who may be trapped in a burning building. The heat signatures of people can be easily detected by the camera, which makes it a useful tool for search and rescue operations.
  • Damage assessment: After a fire has been put out, drones equipped with infrared cameras can be used to assess the extent of the damage. The cameras can detect heat signatures in areas where the fire has been, which can help to identify the most affected areas, and the areas where the fire may have spread.
  • Mapping: Drones equipped with infrared cameras can be used to map large areas, such as forests or remote locations, to detect heat signatures indicating potential fires. This can aid in early detection and prevention of wildfire.

Why send a human firefighter into danger to evaluate a volatile situation when a drone can do the job quickly, safely, and effectively?

• • High-resolution, live-streaming daylight cameras, FLIR thermal cameras, and gas sensors take the guesswork out of assessing scene safety.
  • Drones eliminate the need to place firefighting personnel and expensive equipment in unknown situations to assess critical HAZMAT situations, wildfires, or dangerous structural fires.
  • Know when and where to send manpower and resources with levels of safety and efficiency that were nonexistent years ago.
  • Drones have assisted firefighters, and emergency responders gain situational awareness and forensic intel to make informed decisions on site in real-time, among other applications.
  • Drones outfitted with FLIR thermal and smart tracking hardware can help find people through smoke, flames, and other obstructions that challenge traditional methods.

SEARCH AND RESCUE:

When the call comes in: whether it’s a missing person, a building collapse, rural rescue, or other emergency operation—there are lots of questions that must be answered. Do your command personnel have the advanced technologies that can help them gather valuable information, make accurate assessments and the correct decisions as quickly as possible?

Drones are reliable tools that have many advantages:

• • Advanced data analysis: tools to provide actionable insights and improve incident response times.
  • Aerial surveillance: Drones can be used to survey large areas quickly and efficiently, providing firefighters with a bird’s-eye view of a fire and helping them to identify hotspots and plan strategy.
  • Autonomous flight: Capabilities of an aircraft to fly and navigate without the need for human intervention for efficient and safe operations. This can include takeoff, flight, and landing, and may involve the use of advanced technologies such as sensors, GPS, and artificial intelligence to navigate and make decisions.
  • Cost-effectiveness: Drones are relatively inexpensive compared to manned aircraft, making them a cost-effective solution for search and rescue operations.
  • Durability: Drones are built to withstand harsh conditions, making them suitable for use in rugged terrain or extreme weather.
  • Delivery of supplies: Drones can be used to quickly deliver supplies such as water, medical equipment, and communication devices to firefighters in remote or hard-to-reach areas.
  • Flexibility: Drones can fly in various weather conditions and over difficult terrain, allowing for more thorough searches.
  • GPS capabilities: Drones can be equipped with GPS systems that allow for precise navigation and tracking of the search area.
  • High-definition cameras and thermal imaging: technology to provide real-time video feeds of emergency scenes and search areas.
  • Reduced human error: Drones can be programmed with specific search parameters, reducing the risk of human error and increasing the chances of a successful rescue.
  • Real-time data: Drones can transmit live images and data back to the ground, providing real-time information to search and rescue teams.
  • Safety: Drones can be used to search dangerous areas without putting human lives at risk.
  • Speed: Drones can quickly cover large areas, reducing search time and increasing the chances of finding a missing person.
  • Versatility: Drones can be used for a variety of search and rescue missions, including land, water, and air searches.

Drone applications have expanded throughout the years and will continue to diversify as more agencies adhere to the technology trend. As of September 2021, the FAA has registered over 1.7 million drones and over 1.5 million commercial drone pilots have been certified with the agency.

Accounting for the safety of your personnel should be top priority, and that’s where drones have proven to be of the utmost importance. When you can keep your crews on the ground and out of harm’s way, the power of drone technology speaks for itself. Drones can quickly locate victims, expedite search-and-rescue operations, and enhance the overall safety of your personnel.

Are you looking for a solution to enhance the capabilities of your organization? Look no further than drones!

Don’t let your personnel miss out on the benefits that drones can provide. Invest in a drone today and take your emergency response capabilities to the next level.

Thank you for considering LE Drones. Please contact us for more information or to place an order.