5 years ago, Mark and Dave lost their lives on Lake Winnipesaukee in Moultonborough. At roughly the same time that day, another person fell through the ice and could not be rescued. He was in Alton at the time of the accident. To mark the 5 year anniversary of the tragedy, the foundation has chosen the town of Alton to be the next recipient of a donation. Through the help of our incredible support system, we were able to provide the Alton Fire Department with the following safety and rescue items:
DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise Advanced Drone
Airboat trailer and grass rake
LED lights for the airboat
Garmin GPS for the airboat
We recently spoke with Captain/A-EMT Patrick O’Brien, from the Alton Fire Department about how we are revolutionizing rescues on the lake through the launch of the lake’s first drone search and rescue program. Continue reading to hear more about how these donations are game changers when it comes to rescue teams getting to people as quickly and effectively as possible.
DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise Advanced Drone
Q. We are really excited to be donating a drone to your Fire Department. This will be the first drone owned and operated by a Fire Department on the lake. How is this drone going to be used and why was this such an important addition to your department's resources?
A. In terms of Lake Winnipesaukee, I believe this will be the first Fire Department owned drone of this caliber. The DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise Advanced is a tried and tested airframe with an absolutely incredible camera system allowing for significant zoom capabilities and infrared night vision. This camera system will allow us to see longer distances and locate heat signatures very quickly especially at night! It’s like having real time google earth or street view. This device deployed in conjunction with our airboat will increase the efficiency of the crew by identifying the target and GPS coordinates so the boat can go directly to the point of interest. There are also opportunities for drones to carry and drop items such as flotation devices, this will largely be effected by weather but we intend to test those abilities as soon as the program comes together. This will likely be used mostly on search and rescue operations both on land and on the water and forest fire incidents.
Where this device will be critical is while the crews are suiting up getting equipment ready, this unit can be pinpointing the destination. This will increase our speed to response by giving us an accurate destination to travel to. Alton is part of the Lakes Region Mutual Fire Aid Association which covers 35+ communities! With this extensive system we are happy to support any of our neighboring agencies.
Q. Can you provide some examples of how a drone like this one has been used in the past for other search and rescue departments?
A. Drones are just becoming popular in the rescue world in the northeast. However, there are numerous cases of these units locating missing, lost or injured people using the thermal camera. Before these, Fire Department personnel or independent rescue teams would do hasty searches in the area where the individual was believed to be, then working dogs were called in to search. This has sometimes caused trouble due to multiple scent tracks, and finally if still not found grid searches would be performed where rescuers would walk in a line through various areas searching by eye. These devices deployed early can search from above for heat signatures greatly improving the time to locate potential victims getting them to safety. Lost children, elderly, those effected by dementia or Alzheimer’s, are typical demographics where this may be utilized.
Q. What does training look like to obtain a license and how many people will go through training and be able to pilot the drone?
A. Training to be a drone pilot is no joke! FAA part 107 UAS Operator is a 60 question test that is standardized and must be completed at a testing center. On average 20-30 hours of course work and studying is required. Because these units fly very close to manned aircraft airspace, it is important to know where you plan to fly to keep the air space safe. There are many regulations and airspace rules pilots need to be aware of. We plan to have 5-10 pilots on the department, and also plan to use some of our law enforcement partners as pilots as well through combined training.
Q. Your department will be receiving a new trailer for your airboat. Without this trailer, how have you been able to use the airboat and what limitations have you been operating under?
A. Currently it can take up to 30 minutes to reload the boat. With the new trailer this process should only take seconds. The new trailer will allow us to load the boat from flat ground level as actual airboat trailers are much lower to the ground. When the boat was donated, it came with a conventional boat trailer which makes reloading difficult because of how tall the bunks are. Currently we need to find a steep transition in the land or a snowbank to reload the boat. This can sometimes be very challenging especially in low snow conditions. The reason why this is most critical is if we ever need to move the boat during a mission, or if we are on a training mission and get deployed for an actual incident.
Q. The team is also going to receive a new GPS, LED lights and rake. How do these tools support your department in safety, search and rescue?
A. The original donation of the boat to the town did not offer many of these items. We were able to install some used items from previous apparatus but this equipment was outdated and not user friendly. The new GPS unit will have a significantly larger screen, more up to date maps, and the ability to operate side scan sonar, this will greatly improve our navigation abilities. The work lighting package is also being upgraded as the original lighting was not well suited for freezing conditions, frequently freezing up and had poor long distance visibility. The “grass rake” is a large piece of aluminum that extends up from the bow of the boat, this helps us have a more smooth transition from land to ice to water, providing more of a ramp and keeping water from splashing up over the bow. All of these items add up to increased efficiency when seconds count!