Drones tested to prevent ocean drownings
By Wayne K. RoustanSun Sentinel
Drone or drown? Seems like an obvious choice and Pompano Beach Fire Rescue has been conducting a feasibility study to see if these daring young flying machines can shave precious seconds off rescue response times.
“We’re not looking to replace lifeguards by any means because this drone probably wouldn’t work in every scenario but it is another tool in our toolbelt to perform an ocean rescue,” said Fire Rescue Chief John Jurgle during a Thursday morning drill south of the Pompano pier.
NBC reporter Kerry Sanders played the role of a distressed swimmer during a live “Today” show segment and said the rescue tandem of man and machine is as novel as it gets.
“If you were in trouble and not panicked and that [drone] got there 15 or 20 seconds earlier [than a lifeguard], I know I would be celebrating,” he said afterward.
Two drones were used. One was equipped with a life preserver that was dropped to Sanders as be bobbed in the ocean about 300 yards offshore.
The other drone had a video camera providing a live broadcast of the deployment and the lifeguard’s arrival 15 to 20 seconds later.
There appeared to be a delayed drop during the first of several tests.
“It was a communication error on my part,” said Ben Richardson, owner of drone vendor Perfect View Aerial Media.
The drones are reliable and sturdy, he said, and able to withstand 20 knot winds.
Just like personal watercraft, paddle boards, boats, ATVs, and jeeps, drones would be another tool lifeguards could use to save lives, said Pompano Beach spokeswoman Sandra King.
“Clearly it is feasible,” she said. “The next step would be to purchase drones and see what it’s going to cost, see exactly what type of drone we’d need and then we’re going to need to get lifeguards trained to pilot the devices.”
Cost estimates range from less than $8,000 to $40,000 per drone depending on how they are equipped, but Jurgle expects the price to drop with increased use.
“I compare it to when computers first came out,” he said. “Just in the last year I’ve seen tremendous improvements in the technology of the drones, battery life improving, the weight of the drone improving and the cost is starting to come down.”
In addition to life preservers and video cameras, the drones could be outfitted with thermal cameras that can see body heat in the water day or night, King said.
“We tested the thermal imaging camera on a drone over one of our lifeguards and you could actually see his head bobbing in the water,” she said.
Drone use must be cleared through the Federal Aviation Administration, said agency spokesman Les Dorr.
Federal, state and local government agencies, including first responders, must have an FAA Certificate of Waiver or Authorization to fly an unmanned aircraft in civil airspace.
If the FAA grants authorization, an operator would be allowed to use a defined block of airspace with special provisions such as flying only under Visual Flight Rules and/or only during daylight hours, he said.
“I think it’s cutting edge technology with the potential for using this in multiple ways, both for fire and ocean rescue,” said Jurgle, the fire rescue chief.
