Sky’s the limit for emergency use of drones
Renfrew paramedics using UAVs in search-and-rescue operations
The wheels started to turn for Renfrew paramedic chief Michael Nolan in February 2012 after one of his crews helped rescue a snowmobiler whose machine had crashed through the ice on Calabogie Lake.
Paramedic Brad Smith later won a Governor General’s Award for bravery for his role in the dramatic rescue, using a canoe and his hands for paddles to get to the stranded man clinging to a crust of ice.
But Nolan thought there had to be a better way for paramedics to save lives — and money — in a jurisdiction that stretches its resources over 10,000 square kilometres from West Carleton to near Mattawa, and reaching into west Quebec and Algonquin Park.
“What if it had been possible to know more about the situation on Calabogie Lake?” Nolan asked himself. “Or if there was a technology that could, say, deliver a rope to the desperate man hanging on to that wafer of ice?”
Soon after, Nolan learned that one of his paramedics, James Power, had military experience with drones, also called “unmanned aerial vehicles,” or UAVs. And the gears that were turning in Nolan’s head clicked into place.
The ability to assess a situation from the air would help first responders answer calls more efficiently and safely. The images and video also provide a record for quality assurance and training. A drone offers a “cheat sheet” for first responders, Nolan says.
“It identifies the likely injuries. It lets you prepare for a situation that otherwise would be in the moment.”
The paramedic service’s first drone was a hobbyist model. It soon became obvious Power needed one that could fly longer, have additional attachments and a more sophisticated operating system as well as greater awareness of the airspace. He has since upgraded to drones modified especially for the paramedics by B.C.’s InDro Robotics and technology from Ottawa’s Kongsberg Geospatial that allows the drone operator to be aware of other objects around it to prevent collisions in the airspace.
Drones can be mobilized much faster and less expensively than aircraft, and can get much closer, says Power. Police are still using $100,000 cameras mounted on aircraft to take pictures of crime scenes. That’s not the most effective use of resources, he says.
The Renfrew paramedic drone has been used for surveillance — the OPP seconded it to get a bird’seye view of a homicide scene in Foymount as first responders followed the path of a killer who took the lives of three women last September. So much about the scene was unknown. Was the armed intruder still in the house? Where were the exits? Where was the victim’s 20-year-old son?
The drone was also used during a forest fire near Eganville last spring, helping to identify hot spots. The possibilities are endless — you can even put a nuclear radiation detector on a drone, Nolan says.
Last month, the drone checked out the hard-to-access scene of a landslide that dragged several hectares of Leda clay and accompanying trees into the Bonnechere River, creating a natural dam. Within a few minutes, the drone identified the location and the extent of the damage.
The landslide is a prime example of a situation where the drone proved its value, said Peter Emon, warden of Renfrew County and the reeve of the town of Renfrew.
“I think every rural municipality should have one. It gives you a vantage point you wouldn’t usually get.”
But the drone must be used within legislation that governs paramedics, including respect for privacy, as well as Transport Canada’s regulatory framework that says drones can only be used within the operator’s visual range. The paramedics have applied for exemptions from Transport Canada that would allow them to fly the drone any time or anywhere under appropriate conditions.
Nolan has spoken about the initiative to people as far away as Turkey, and will travel to Oxford in England later this spring.
Nolan hopes a drone can soon be used to deliver life-saving medications and devices such as an EpiPen for someone in anaphylactic shock. Instructions for using the device could be provided over a cellphone.
“People are starting to think of UAVs as not just science fiction, but real-life tools,” says Philip Reece, CEO of InDro Robotics. “I wouldn’t be surprised if, within two years, it’s standard for every fire engine to have a UAV on board.”
I think every rural municipality should have one. It gives you a vantage point you wouldn’t usually get.