OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Garvin County in south-central Oklahoma is set to become the first public agency in the state to purchase and use an unmanned aerial system- commonly known as a drone - for firefighting and other emergency situations.
County commissioners this week approved the purchase of the $2,300 small aerial device that’s equipped with a camera to help firefighters and other emergency responders.
“In Garvin County, it’s pretty rough country,” said County Emergency Management director Bud Ramming, noting the many hills and mountains in some areas. “When our fire departments go out there, they don’t get the whole view of what’s going on. This gives them a better view.”
The device will help firefighters and emergency responders better understand how many residents may be in front of the fire, what may be in danger and track firefighters as they enter a particular area to make sure they are safe, Ramming said.
Ramming said he is still in the process of writing policies and procedures but it should be operational within the next few weeks. Ramming as well as one or two other people will be trained to operate the device. The machine can’t be flown within four miles of an airport and will never go above 400 feet, so as to not get into airspace, he said.
“We’re going to follow all the FAA rules,” Ramming said, referring to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Oklahoma State University aerospace engineering professor Jamey Jacob said aside from universities using unmanned aerial systems for research purposes, Garvin County is believed to be the first public agency in the state to use the device.
“It gives them situational awareness. That’s what the small unmanned aircraft is designed to do. So they have a bird’s eye view of the situation, whatever that scenario may be,” Jacob said, noting that it could be used for tracking a wildfire, keeping tabs on firefighters’ safety or helping to find a lost child in the woods.
In fact, Oklahoma State University is hosting a workshop next week about first responders using unmanned aerial systems, Jacob said.
The biggest use for the device will be in rural counties, Jacob said, because they don’t have air support from news media and most fire departments are comprised of volunteers who can’t afford a manned aircraft.
“Eventually I think every county will have one of these. It’s going to become a common tool for the emergency management team,” he said.
But privacy is a factor. Jacob said some people have a misperception about the word drone. In the case of Garvin County, he said it would be easier for someone to put a camera on a stick to spy on someone rather than use the small unmanned device.
“For the most part, these are going to be used by people who need to save lives,” he said.
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Contact Kristi Eaton at Keaton@ap.org or follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/KristiEaton .
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