EMMU Aerial: Friendship Fire Company Diving-Rescue Unit of Phoenixville, Chester County, PA Launches Two New Search & Rescue Drones

EMMUAerial: Friendship Fire Company Diving-Rescue Unit of Phoe...:   Always great to see a fire department utilize drones with their value as another tool in the toolbox for search and rescue in a water or marine environment.

 Phoenixville, PA - April 17th, 2023 - In March 2023, Friendship Fire Company Diving-Rescue Unit, Chester County, PA Station 77, a 501c3 non-profit, based in Phoenixville PA, received and will be placing into service a weather resistant DJI Matrice 30t drone with thermal capabilities and a waterproof SwellPro Splash Drone 4 with lifting capabilities.

Drones for Water Search and Rescue

The use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) or “drones” for a wide variety of operations and businesses has been dramatically increasing both nationally and internationally.  The drone regulatory environment in the United States continues to evolve. New drone capabilities and more effective ways to use these capabilities are constantly being developed and implemented. Drones have quickly become the most widely used tool for many industries. From Police and Fire Departments to agriculture and energy operations, drones have become essential to boosting safety and productivity.

How does this important capability improve the SAR planner’s ability to search for persons in distress? Which drone is appropriate and most effective for a search based on the circumstances of the case? How does the SAR Mission Coordinator (SMC)/Incident Commander (IC) gain approval to use drones for a particular SAR operation? These are challenging questions that must be answered before contemplating the use of UAS in a particular SAR mission.

SAR Coordinators (SCs), SMCs/ICs, State, Tribal, Territorial/Insular Area, local SAR authorities, and volunteers interested in using UAS for SAR will also find important information and guidance in this Addendum in the development, management, and operation of their UAS programs.

What About Drones for Water Search and Rescue

Over the past few years, there has been an increasing interest in using Drones in support of water search and rescue.  Regardless of the type of water from flood, river, swiftwater, coastal, ocean, surf or ice, a drone can be another valuable tool in your toolbox to effectively, efficiently and most important of all safely assist with the conduct water search and rescue operations.

However, there is little evidence that they are used in a structured and strategic manner to best effect. An effective response is essential if lives are to be saved and suffering alleviated.

"In order to realize the true value of a drone’s capabilities in water search and rescue, Drone Pilots and SAR authorities from the Incident Commander (IC) on down need to gain experience by employing drones on actual SAR operations and in training.  Only then will you realize that drones provide another tool in the toolbox for the Incident Commanders that can and will prove invaluable."

A search and rescue drone used by emergency services, such as police officers, firefighters or volunteer rescue teams, is ideal for searching over vast areas for missing persons in need of rescue and in any environment.  Search times can be significantly reduced while limiting potential risk to the party being rescued as well as rescuers. There are many options and benefits to using drones for water search and rescue.

With a lifetime in all water environments to include coastal, ocean, surf, swiftwater, flood and ice rescue, safety, and over ten years in drone operations for public safety. SAS Water Safety and EMMU Aerial’s instructors can help your agency evaluate how drones can be used in the preparation for, and response to all water search and rescue emergencies.  We can also provide assistance with all your training requirements and develops standard operating procedures (SOP) for their deployment before, during and after an event.

The Drones for Water Search and Rescue Course was developed and designed to be taught in a three day format with 1 day classroom and 2 days situational field / flight training, where students already have a FAA Part 107 with basic flight knowledge and experience in land search and rescue. Students will gain knowledge and practical experience in hydrology and moving water dynamics, pre-planning, size-up, site control, scene management, drone platforms and payloads, aerial search techniques, rescue mission support, thermal imaging, night operations and lost person behavior. The course will enable the students to identify clearly their own limitations as well as those of the equipment, so that they will be able to utilize drones more safely and effectively.

Contact SAS Water Safety or EMMU Aerial today for more information on integrating drones into water search and rescue.

 

EMMU Aerial: Butte County SAR uses new drone to help rescue man...

EMMU Aerial: Butte County SAR uses new drone to help rescue man...:   BUTTE COUNTY, Calif.  - The Butte County Search and Rescue (SAR) team rescued a driver stuck in flood waters on Wednesday. SAR responded...

National Guard supports joint water rescue exercise

 

SMYRNA, Tenn. – Members from the Tennessee National Guard, Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, Nashville Fire Department, Rutherford County's StormPoint Emergency Response team and others participated in a joint water rescue exercise April 9.

Tennessee's Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team, a joint rescue crew with a Tennessee National Guard UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter and aircrew with rescue personnel from the Nashville Fire Department, practiced rescuing drowning victims in Stewarts Creek.

"It's critical that we all train together," said Lt. Col. Jay Jackson, the military liaison for TEMA. "Doing this with people you've never met would be dangerous during a real world emergency, especially in hazardous conditions. That's not when we should be working together for the first time."

During the training event, the Tennessee National Guard helicopter crew lowered a Nashville Fire Department diver into the lake by hoist. The diver swam to the victims, provided aid, and readied them for rescue. Strapping the victims to the rescue strop, diver hooking themselves to the rescue cable and hoisted out of the water into the hovering helicopter. The crew simulated first aid as the survivors were airlifted to the nearest hospital.

"These exercises allow us to streamline the process and strengthen the relationships between the Tennessee National Guard and our state and local partners," said Jackson. "It is all meant to ensure that we are ready to respond to emergencies and protect our fellow citizens. Some of these maneuvers can be dangerous, especially during inclement weather, and we need to be ready."

This year's exercise included an additional element: an unmanned aerial systems team from StormPoint Emergency Response who provided a live feed of the training to the state operations center. Additionally, the team completed a mission delivering life vests to the simulated drowning victims before the HART team's arrival."Our job during this training exercise was to provide situational awareness for the water rescue exercise," said Russell Bradshaw, StormPoint Emergency Response executive director. "We were able to use the drone to locate the victims and provide coordinates and information for the inbound rescue team."

This new capability enhances the Tennessee National Guard's ability, along with local and state partners, to respond to numerous situations, including difficult-to-reach accident sites and major natural disasters, rapidly.

"This new joint capability for Tennessee not only benefits Tennesseans in the event of a disaster but will also be a deployable resource to neighboring states in the event of a disaster out of our area," said Jackson.

The HART team has already completed a successful mission. In October 2020, an injured hiker in North Carolina was successfully hoisted and transported safely to the nearest hospital.

Shared from the US Army