Orange County Fire Rescue seeks to go high-tech with drones in emergency responses

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Orange County commissioners recently approved a request by Orange County Fire Rescue Chief Otto Drozd to apply for certification to fly drones during emergency responses.

“The wildfires that we’ve had lately, it gives us great capability to see where the fire’s going, where we can position our units to better protect the public and protect their properties," Drozd said.

With thermal cameras, the drones would allow firefighters to locate trapped victims in burning buildings or spot swimmers caught in rip tides.

Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs referred to to an 8-year-old boy who was recently swept away by a rip current and how a drone could have helped in that situation.

“The heat sensor would have helped them identify where that boy was in the water while he was still struggling, I’m assuming,” Jacobs said.

But the drone feature that specifically captured commissioners’ attention was what it could carry in an emergency situation.

The drone would be capable of carrying an automated external defibrillator, or AED, and get it to a person in cardiac arrest within minutes, Drozd said.

“We can get there by flying as the crow flies, rather than traversing the road network,” he said. “(It’s) much quicker.”

A dispatcher could also speak to people at the scene via the drone and see live video of what is happening while emergency personnel are still on the way.

“We exist to put ourselves between danger and the public, and we exist to save lives,” Drozd said. “This is going to enhance our capability to do that.”

Cox Media Group