Groveland Twp.-In late September, township firefighters were called to assist Michigan State Police as they searched a heavily wooded area near Grange Hall and Jossman roads for a missing person.
‘The terrain was difficult where an individual could hide anywhere,? said Ron Bray, township fire department engineer/paramedic. ‘State police were about to start a search for the missing person with tracking dogs’a task that would have taken a lot of manpower not to mention time. Fortunately the individual was found safe however, the search would have been an excellent opportunity to use a drone to fly over the area as part of the search.?
Bray’s assesment of the search procedure, stems from his role as operator of the department’s first drone obtained last summer. The drone or UAV unmanned aerial vehicle is remote-controlled from the ground by a firefighter using a tablet or cell phone. At a cost of about $2,000, the department purchased the DJI Phantom drone, which is powered by four small electric motors that can keep the machine aloft for about 25 minutes before batteries die. The drone can reach a top altitude of 350 feet and range about 500 feet away from the operator. The drone is equipped with a video camera that transmits the image of the terrain back to the operator.
‘The camera allows firefighters to evaluated the site from one stationary point rather than rely on firefighters reporting information from each side of the fire,? said Bray. ‘For example, we can send the drone up high over the structure fire and determine the best way to fight the fire, see hot spots or concentrate water use on a specific location that may be hot. The drone can also be used in dangerous HAZMAT situations without sending a firefighter into possible danger. Consider the amount of chemicals that travel I-75 through our area each day. ?
In additon, due to the frequency of grass fires in the township’Bray suggested the airborne drone would be vital for crews receiving real-time data for fighting fires in rugged hard to reach locations.
‘Fire containment or control is advanced if the information about what’s going on with the fire is known,? he said. ‘The next step would be adding night vision technology to assist in the search or rescue.?