Dieppe, N.B. fire department adds aerial drone to arsenal

A Maritime fire department has added a new tool to their arsenal for fighting fires.
The Dieppe, N.B. fire department says their unmanned aerial vehicle, also known as a drone, will improve the ability to monitor and fight fires.
Division Chief Marc Cormier says it will help the department in many ways.

                                        

 

Firefighters in Dieppe, N.B. say this drone could help them save lives.

 

“So that we can predict where the fire is travelling from and to,” says Cormier. “With that prediction, we can make decisions on evacuation priorities.”

Cormier says it can also help determine the best place to position trucks and ladders. The UAV operator who trained Cormier says that could make the difference between life and death.
“There is a variety of applications that they can use that would definitely, maybe save a life,” says UAV operator Marc LeBlanc.

The operator can see the footage live, as can a remote location back at the station.
The unit, including the GoPro camera and software, cost the department about $3,500.
Cormier says it is a small price to pay, given the applications.
“We can use the drone to inspect a building, to be able to locate, for example, a natural gas line on top of a roof, so that we can predetermine what we are going to do before we get a call at that structure.”

Leblanc says the future of UAVs and UAV photography is just beginning to be explored.
“The possibilities are endless, from farming, to real estate, to surveying, and now fire rescue, search and rescue, and media,” says LeBlanc.

Chief Cormier is currently the only one authorized to fly the UAV, as it is still a pilot project. However, if it takes off, as they believe it will, UAV use will be expanded to other jurisdictions.

 

With files from CTV Atlantic's David Bell
arsenal-1.2203571#ixzz3Pmi1iWg9