By FireRescue1 Staff
DULUTH, Minn. — Firefighters tested a new rescue drone that can save people from the water while being remotely controlled from the shore.
Farmington Independent reported that the Duluth Fire Department trained with an Emergency Integrated Lifesaving LanYard. The 24-pound water rescue drone flew through Lake Superior water toward two firefighters acting as victims while another controlled the drone from land. When it reached the firefighters, they grabbed onto the handles and were pulled back to safety.
The drone can support six to eight people, and carries a life jacket as well as a helmet and a two-way radio so victims can communicate with responders.
“One of our biggest concerns with rescue is with rip currents,” Duluth Fire Capt. Brent Consie said. “When we’ve got an east wind or a wind that’s about 10 to 15 miles an hour like we might see here on Thursday, we have currents that actually flute water back off shore so people who are caught in rip currents can really be taken by surprise. Tourists or people who are not familiar with our waters get into a situation where there’s potentially a drowning. We want to be able to get to them as fast as we possibly can.”
The drone would get to someone in need quicker than a responder, and even in a situation where a responder needed to retrieve the victim, the drone could be sent ahead for the person to hang onto until they could be reached.
“Technology is always changing … This water drone is a different approach to it because the drownings happen so fast and our conditions change so fast,” Capt. Consie said. “We’re looking at ways — how can we improve? How can we use technology to keep improving our deliverance of service?”