By Miles Oates
mlive.com
STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. — A drone can leave its docking station and fly toward a Sterling Heights emergency before a police cruiser or fire engine arrives, giving first responders a view of what awaits them before they reach the scene.
That capability is at the center of Sterling Heights’ new Drone as a First Responder program, which city officials showcased Wednesday at Fire Station No. 4.
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The program places drones at three locations across the city, allowing trained police personnel to remotely deploy them to emergencies and other incidents. The city said the drones would provide real-time aerial information to police officers and firefighters before they arrive.
Police Chief Andrew Satterfield said the program is already being put to use. Since implementation, the department has flown about 150 missions, including training flights, without an incident, he said.
More significantly, Satterfield said drones have helped police locate two suspects who fled on foot. During the city’s most recent homicide investigation, he said, a drone arrived at the scene in approximately one minute and provided officers with a real-time view of the incident.
“A DFR drone can be launched from a secure dock and arrive at an incident quickly, often before officers can reach the location by their vehicle,” Satterfield said. “It gives trained personnel a real-time view of what’s happening, allowing us to make better-informed decisions about the resources needed and the safest response.”
The Police Department has 17 trained drone operators, including four specifically trained in Drone as a First Responder operations, Satterfield said. The department also has two in-house trainers.
Three Skydio docking stations are positioned at Fire Station No. 3, Fire Station No. 4 and the former Department of Public Works facility near Dodge Park. Satterfield said the Skydio X10 DFR drones can deploy from their docks in as little as 20 seconds.
Although the Police Department operates the program, officials said its applications extend beyond law enforcement.
For firefighters, the technology could mean determining whether an emergency actually requires a fire engine or ladder truck before committing those resources.
Interim Fire Chief Mike Amormino said firefighters sometimes respond to reports that turn out to be less serious than initially believed, such as smoke coming from a dryer vent, a backyard barbecue or burning leaves — or crashes where no one is injured.
The drone could give firefighters another way to assess those situations quickly while keeping equipment available for more serious emergencies.
“This technology isn’t about sending fewer resources when they are needed,” Amormino said. “It is about making better decisions about the resources that we have.”
During a structure fire, Amormino said a drone could give incident commanders an aerial or thermal view of the scene, helping identify hot spots, roof conditions, fire spread and potential collapse hazards.
The technology could also be useful when severe weather hits the city and multiple emergency calls come in at once. Drones could survey downed trees, electrical wires, blocked roads and other hazards to help officials prioritize responses, Amormino said.
Public Works Director Michael Moore said the same aerial perspective could be deployed during flooding, water main breaks, storm damage and other problems involving city infrastructure.
“Instead of immediately sending personnel into potentially hazardous or difficult to access areas, we may be able to use the drone to conduct an initial visual assessment and determine the safest and most effective way to proceed,” Moore said.
The city has emphasized that the program is intended for specific public safety responses, not continuous monitoring of residents. When the City Council approved the program in January, officials said drones would be deployed to defined calls for service, natural disasters and public safety hazards — and would not be used for general monitoring.
Mayor Pro Tem Liz Sierawski also addressed that concern Wednesday.
“This is a first responder tool. This is not a surveillance tool,” Sierawski said. “If there’s an emergency or even a crime that we need to get eyes on immediately, that’s when this is initiated.”
Satterfield said the department’s goal is to use the technology to get information to first responders faster while keeping police officers, firefighters and residents safer.
“Our goal is straightforward,” Satterfield said. “Get better information to the right people, faster, make sound decisions, protect our officers and residents and ensure that emergency resources are available where they are needed most.”
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