Besides providing bird’s-eye view, do UAV’s really have so many benefits for firefighters? Here are listed some of the main uses of drones that allow them take the first place in the rank list of ways of fire preventing.
First things first, in the last eight years, over 19 percent (almost one fifth) of agencies in public safety that purchased UAV’s were fire departments. This impressive ratio definitely tells us drones are extremely popular in the industry. Let’s take a look at the use-cases of the UAV’s. According to Dronefly, these are the most significant areas of drone-use for this particular job.
Wildfires
Drones are a powerful tool when it comes to surveying fires growing out of control, as they can immediately re-assess which areas on the ground are becoming more dangerous, and which areas require immediate attention. Furthermore, UAV’s can successfully predict the area where there is a chance of fire using the possible drought detection systems, which significantly helps people plan preventive actions a pre-emptive strategy of stopping the fire.
Monitoring
Making the most informed decision means gathering as much data as possible, particularly if you’re in charge of sending boots on the ground into potential danger. In this case, the best decision is to use drones to get the best available look at a fire before developing a strategy. Thermal imagery has potentially become the most useful aspect of drones in firefighting, as they can point toward the hottest and coolest areas of a building, look through smoke or other visibility-reducing elements, and thereby aid in deciding how best to approach the situation. Drones equipped with the proper gear can also be used as floodlights during nighttime missions, further assisting those on the ground with improved visibility.
Search and rescue of people and animals
Daily, firefighters receive alerts for lost or missing people. UAV’s give responders a clear bird’s-eye view regardless of time of day and provide them with immediate data while allowing them to remain safe. It has been recently reported for an 81-year old woman, who was lost in a field, who was found via drone. UAV’s are mostly responsible for saving dogs’ and many other animals’ lives.
Post-Event Assessment
Drones can capture high-quality imagery and footage throughout and post-disaster. We’ve recently seen this with the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, where insurance companies are able to more rapidly develop estimates, or the Federal Aviation Administration realizing that UAVs could actually benefit post-disaster assessment. In firefighting, drones analyze the damage, spot any survivors not visible from the ground, and utilize the recorded footage for future training or re-evaluation.
The truth is that benefits of using drones in firefighting are many in number. The UAV’s are capable of doing activities which would be difficult or time-consuming for firefighters. Drones can help for a faster reaction when a fire has started and for taking timely actions against it and also for saving many lives.
