How Are Drones Being Used by Fire Departments?

Unparalleled Access

Drones give firefighters unparalleled access compared to traditional earthbound firefighting operations. Terrestrial firefighting vehicles lack the same access that drones do, especially when operating out in the wild with inaccessible terrain, thick vegetation, and inadequate road infrastructure, or in densely populated urban areas full of high rises and other physical obstacles. A drone’s ability to fly high up in the sky allows firefighters to fly over inaccessible natural terrain and tall buildings to gather aerial intelligence.

Risk Assessment

Drones can reach much higher elevations compared to traditional fire trucks equipped with aerial ladders. Depending on FAA regulations, drones are allowed to fly up to 400 feet in the air. Compare this to ladder trucks which can only reach up to 100 feet. Drones also take much less time to deploy. This allows fire departments to survey the fireground quickly and accurately from the air and to assess potential risks and dangers. This gives commanding officers unparalleled situational awareness and aerial intelligence, allowing them to deploy firefighters and coordinate rescue efforts safely and efficiently.

Thermal Imaging

Between thick clouds of smoke billowing from the fireground and physical obstructions like buildings and tall trees in the environment, visibility is always a challenge for firefighters on the ground. Thankfully, drones outfitted with high-definition infrared (IR) cameras give firefighters thermal imaging capabilities to see what the naked eye could not. This enables them to monitor hotspots, identify deployed personnel, and locate people trapped inside structures despite the lack of visibility.

Remote Monitoring & Coordination

Drones allow firefighters to relay high-definition video intelligence of the fireground back to central command in real time. This facilitates improved coordination with other disaster response agencies and first responders on scene. The footage and data gathered during emergency response incidents can also be used as evidence, for after-action analysis, and incorporated into future training materials.

Emergency Deliveries

In certain emergency situations, victims may be trapped within a burning building or other remote, unsafe, and otherwise inaccessible locations. Often, these victims may require time-sensitive emergency care and cannot wait until firefighters and other first responders have contained the fire and create a path to them. Fortunately, fire departments can use drones to deliver emergency supplies and equipment such as Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) to these victims while firefighting and rescue efforts are underway.

Why Are Drones Useful for Fire Departments?

Higher Reach

Drones can reach much higher elevations compared to conventional fire trucks equipped with aerial ladders.

Rapid Aerial Surveillance

Drones allow fire departments to begin surveying the fireground within moments of arriving on scene, and to do so much more comprehensively from the air.

Accessibility

Drones allow firefighters to monitor fires in inaccessible terrains or other hard-to-reach locations.

Search & Rescue

Drones can be equipped with thermal imaging cameras to help identify hotspots, victims, and rescue crews otherwise invisible to the human eye when the fireground is engulfed in smoke. They can also be outfitted with floodlights to aid in nighttime rescue operations.

Cost Savings

As drones provide fire departments significant technical and safety benefits, they also provide notable cost savings compared to other methods. Deploying fire trucks and personnel may be costly, and drones help to offset part of that cost when fighting emergency fires.

Damage Assessment

Drones are helpful in surveying the fireground during and after a fire to assess damage, record the spread of the fire, and help locate missing persons. In addition to being valuable evidence, information recorded by the drones during firefighting operations can also be used to create training materials.

We are extremely proud to be marking CASCA E-CONNECT’s 8th anniversary! Today, CASCA E-CONNECT PVT. LTD. has officially completed 8 years of its activity.
When CASCA was founded back in 2013, we were a small team in a challenging business environment, but with a well-defined vision, confident and eager to grow. After 8 years of hard work, we remained just as ambitious as we started, however we gained more experience, strengthened our skills and our collaborations.
8th September 2021 will hold an important day as we are officially introducing our first prototype RPAS(Drone/UAS) GoDrona “EKLAVYA”.
Our prototype is designed to comply NPNT and is capable to perform security, surveillance inspection and mapping with a flight time of 50 min. Equipped with 360 degree obstacle avoidance sensor makes its operation more secure. Currently it is equipped with 10X optical zoom 4K camera as payload which could be replaced with mapping camera or thermal camera.
We are open to associate with industry stake holders and discuss about our prototype along with our enterprise RPAS application which we are working on and hopefully we would be launching soon. (NPNT Firmware, GoDrona GCS and GoDrona UTM).
Thank you to all who have supported Casca E-Connect on its way to success, we are very proud of what we have achieved together. As our progress is rewarding, we are very excited to maintain this trajectory. I truly believe our passion will help us build on the solid business foundation which we have laid with commitment, respect and a sustainable approach, during these 8 years.