OPINION:
Winter has proved to be a challenge for first responders. A cross-country storm blanketed the nation and tornadoes imperiled many in Louisiana and Mississippi a few weeks ago. Over Christmas, a blizzard dumped 4 feet of snow in Buffalo, New York, and took the lives of at least 39 people. December was an especially tough time for local fire and police departments.
First responders have a special place in my heart. My sister is a hero to say the least and serves as the charge nurse in the emergency department at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. Recently she was a part of the response team caring for the victims of last month’s shooting at Central Visual Performing Arts High School, where my nephew is a student and my cousin is a teacher. I was in awe learning that an EMT ran into the building unarmed, before law enforcement, to help one of the injured.
Conditions like weather and active crime scenes create challenging conditions for first responders. Time and again we see first responders risk their lives for the lives of others. They are the cornerstone of our communities, and they deserve our ardent support. To save as many lives as possible, they need and deserve the best tools available. One way we can help protect them is ensuring access to drone technology that can fly into conditions that might be unsafe or challenging before sending in our valued first responders. The use of drones can make all the difference when access and visibility is challenging or dangerous.
First responders across the country have increasingly relied on drones to help locate people stranded in hazardous conditions. The drones’ thermal and optical cameras can help direct them to individuals who would not be found without the use of a drone. These drones did not gain their popularity among first responders by accident. They have proved to be lifesaving tools for local police, fire and sheriff’s departments across the country. For example, one Kentucky agency decided to purchase a drone when they had a difficult time finding a missing person in a cornfield. In Colorado, a drone helped first responders locate a vulnerable 72-year-old who had wandered away from his assisted living facility before the cold and rough conditions put him in further danger.
Unfortunately, some federal politicians are considering policies that would prevent first responders from purchasing the most effective drones for their purposes, hampering them from doing their jobs and helping prevent putting lives at risk. This is because the most popular brands of drones in the United States are manufactured in China or use parts from China, leading some to argue they present an inherent national security risk. The real reason we hear so much about drones manufactured in China is because of a nascent U.S. drone industry trying to get off the ground. Those companies are turning to politicians for special protection.
If having any products coming from China is a nonstarter or national security risk for Americans, though, they might as well toss aside their iPhone, manufactured in China, and almost every consumer electronic in use today because of Chinese-produced hardware. Denying first responders access to drones because of hardware or parts manufactured in China simply does not make sense given how interconnected the global supply chain has become. Policies to ground drones from China could limit their use by first responders in the fight to save lives.
As I wrote previously, I am stalwartly against Chinese parts being used in stealth and military equipment. But one cannot argue that use of drones with Chinese parts is any different or more threatening than the use of any other Wi-Fi-enabled electronic device by first responders. As we measure the potential risks and benefits, it seems clear the use of a drone by our trusted first responders to provide watch over situations like a high-risk warrant, de-escalating a potentially violent altercation with police, saving lives through search and rescue operations, or assisting in disaster recovery is unlikely to pose a national security risk and rather provides a great aid in time of need.
As for the drone industry that is beginning to take off, a strong competitive landscape amid the free market is the best medicine for the growing industry. Business protectionism at the cost of public safety is neither the right nor political savvy course ahead.
• Lane Koch is a former congressional staffer and a Republican strategist specializing in grassroots voter contact.
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