Category Archives: First Responders

Ontario Paramedics Now Fly BVLOS

When a driver was fatally ejected one night late last year from a vehicle that rolled off a road in Eastern Ontario’s Renfrew County, emergency responders were unsure whether there were other victims. The terrain around the crash site was difficult to access, forested and rocky with steep and unexpected drops. Instead of relying solely on emergency staff to determine the number of dead or injured, the county’s paramedic service turned to a technology it has pioneered among its peers in Canada: an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or, more colloquially, a drone. Continue reading

Thrush Aircraft and Drone America to Develop Autonomous Fire Fighting Aircraft

The arsenal of airborne tactics available to firefighters and first responders may soon grow significantly as Thrush Aircraft has formed a strategic alliance with highly-regarded unmanned aerial vehicle and systems manufacturer Drone America to begin development of the world’s first autonomous air tanker. Continue reading

MQ-9 Supports Fire Fighting Efforts in Northern California

The California Air National Guard’s 163d Attack Wing operating out of March Air Reserve Base is using MQ-9 Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), with full-motion video (optical and infra-red) and ground imaging Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) capability, in support of CAL FIRE’s firefighting efforts in Northern California. SAR is able to see clearly though both clouds and smoke. Continue reading