Recently, members of the Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service (MAWWFRS) Drone Team organised a Drone Open Day for Service personnel at Service Headquarters.
The session allowed both Operational and Non-Operational staff members to come together and learn about the current technology that is available to support operational response, prevention and protection.
The day aligned and revolved around certain operational themes:
Incident Command
The Incident Command element focussed on the benefit of using drone technology to enhance situational awareness. A variety of tethered, and non-tethered drones can be used to feedback live images from developing operational incidents. These captured images can then be displayed through our Incident Command Unit (ICU) and provide accurate information for both MAWWFRS and multi-agency briefings.
Wildfires
The Service have a suite of capabilities that can assist with wildfire prevention and response. Drone technology can be used to search a wide area using both thermal and optical cameras to pinpoint fires. Using this enhanced situational awareness can assist commanders in formulating a plan prior to committing further resources.
Reconnaissance
The Service currently has a drone that can be flown within structures, vehicles, and confined spaces. This allows the incident commander to maximise firefighter safety by using technology to access high risk areas. Current drone technology can be further enhanced to carry specialist equipment such as gas monitoring equipment.
There were lots of practical demonstrations throughout the day, offering plenty of opportunity for discussion. It was a great success and definitely beneficial to see the advancements in technology.
