Event round-up: Fire Innovation Forum – Drones
We were pleased to host our fifth Fire Innovation Forum session with a focus on drones' application in fire and rescue services.
Steve Beakhust and Gillian Fyfe, National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) welcomed attendees with an overview of the Council’s Digital, Data and Technology objectives. Within their strategy and roadmap, the NFCC recognise the importance of partnerships in achieving their innovation goals, as they continue to explore the benefits of emerging technology to the sector.
Tim Morell, the National Drone Lead, NFCC, gave a presentation on the current landscape, including the national capabilities of the different drones used by services. Drones are beneficial for increasing situational awareness, providing a new perspective for thermal imaging camera, creating detailed incident maps through photogrammetry, and reducing risk to front line officers for their ability to enter hazardous areas. Through such abilities, officers now are able to attain visibility to sub surface incidents and send firefighting robots as a first responder.
Take a look at the slides here.
AI is being explored in fire detection and victim identification with the ambition to improve response effectiveness, with ambitions for it to enhance the accuracy and speed of locating victims and identifying hazards.
With that said, there are several challenges that limit the role that drones can play in the fire and rescue sector. As models vary in resilience it can impair their ability to act as a first responder.
David Hodges, Avon Fire and Rescue, shared his experience leading a pilot on underwater drones (ROV’s) for search and rescue incidents. The results of this highlighted the use of sonar technology for improving the success of rescue operations, as it allows victims to be located in turbulent waters where visibility is low. His research also highlighted the importance of rapid deployment for drones for successful retrieval.
Amongst the open discussion, the group considered what are the areas for improvement for better collaboration between industry and the fire services. A key area for development is the incorporation of traditional firefighting methods into the design of technology. To benefit from the different perspectives and to mitigate the budget constraints of services, partnerships are encouraged to ensure the vision of the NFCC Strategy and Roadmap is incorporated to the early stages of technology development.
If you want to know more about previous forum sessions, you can find the links below:
