A devastating house fire Monday forced a McClure Street family and their tenant to quickly contemplate their next move, with most of their possessions destroyed.
While the event was disastrous on a human level, from a technology standpoint it allowed the Victoria Fire Department to successfully test out its newest piece of equipment, a drone designed to give firefighters a closer initial look at the characteristics of a fire.
READ:
B次元官网网址淲hat was exciting about Monday was this was the first time we put the drone to use at a live emergency situation,B次元官网网址� said Deputy Fire Chief Dan Atkinson.
The drone, also referred to as an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) cost between $20,000 and $25,000 and was introduced last year. It carries a 4K standard video camera and a thermal imaging camera. It required government certification and extensive training before it was used.
B次元官网网址淚t went really well,B次元官网网址� Atkinson said. B次元官网网址淥n every call there are lessons to be learned, but the UAV really demonstrated its ability to assess the scene.B次元官网网址�
The drone provides firefighters with additional intel about the blaze, which enables them to allocate resources accordingly.
B次元官网网址淲hen we roll up to scene we rely on our eyes B次元官网网址� we do a size up, and formulate an incident action plan,B次元官网网址� Atkinson said, adding that in future, drones may be dispatched to the scene ahead of fire crews and feed information back to the first responders en route.
B次元官网网址淭his kind of technology provides us with a higher level of knowledge,B次元官网网址� he explained. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 not only used for fires.B次元官网网址�
UAVs are an effective tool in search and rescue operations, air sampling, aerial photography and crime scene reconstruction.
Increasingly, drone technology is becoming standard practice on Vancouver Island. Langford Fire and Rescue used drones to locate missing hikers, and Saanich police employs them to map vehicle crash scenes.
B次元官网网址淚t is limitless,B次元官网网址� Atkinson said.
