Grafton firefighters celebrate drone capabilities – ‘It’s like having a helicopter in your pocket’ - Grafton
Published: 02 Nov 2023 02:57pm
Grafton’s Fire and Rescue NSW crew is singing the praises of its recent, new drone capability, declaring it a ‘game-changer’ for local firefighting.
The Grafton Fire Station first received its drone or Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) licence in February 2021.
Almost two years on and Captain, Garry Reardon, describes it as revolutionary for firefighting.
“The RPAS is deployable in so many different situations, from assessing hazardous materials (HAZMAT) incidents to searches for missing people, from providing aerial intelligence about bushfires to dropping incendiary devices into the bush to safely ignite hazard reduction burns.
“The drone does it all,” Captain Reardon said.
“We even used our drones to track large debris like caravans and water tanks swept into local cane fields by floodwaters last year.
“We’ve recently upgraded to the DJI Matrice 30, it’s like having a helicopter in your pocket.
“Our firefighter pilots are highly trained, conducting a week’s training to get a Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) qualification and we’re licensed to fly during the day and night.”
Captain Reardon says the drone’s infra-red camera can highlight people lost in the bush or animals caught in the line of fire.
“We know of operations elsewhere in which a person’s been missing for 24 hours…they get a drone involved, with its infra-red tech, and typically the person’s found in 15 to 20 minutes.
“This is timber country and there’s lots of rugged bush and a lot of national parks where people come and camp and go bushwalking…in the event somebody does get lost and they’re reported missing, we can be called on to assist.
“We live in an age of information and we now use these FRNSW drones to act as our eyes in the sky, providing real-time intelligence to firefighters making vital decisions on the ground.
“It’s brought us an enormous boost to our operational capability, that’s for sure.”
FRNSW has deployed RPAS units at more than two dozen strategic, regional areas across New South Wales.
Media Note: FRNSW footage of drone operations in the Grafton area is available here: https://vimeo.com/880371780/bb8cb2fbce?share=copy [external link]
Updated: 20 Dec 2023 10:02am
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Stations nearby
94 Prince Street, Grafton NSW 2460
64 Wharf Street, South Grafton NSW 2460
251 River Street, Maclean NSW 2463