MIDLAND, Texas —
A huge help in making sure that all firefighters and first responders stayed safe during the Targa gas plant fire in Greenwood was because of the use of drones.
“They (first responders) worried about an explosion and stuff like that, fires. So, I just pull my drone up able to zoom me in and kind of get some details on the ground before they send any lives in or what have you. You know, just a lot safer for first responders,” said Justin Stamper, a Greenwood volunteer firefighter.
Drones can help firefighters with things like providing real-time situational awareness, mapping the fire perimeter and sometimes getting a good look at hard-to-reach places.
"We're a mile away, so we're sending drones in now to monitor the situation instead of sending firefighters and emergency responders," said Justin Bunch, emergency response coordinator for Midland County. "So the whole time the fires was going and we were monitoring with drones and watching that. But we didn't have equipment on site in the facility to actually fight the fire. Again, we let it just kind of do its thing until it gets down and gets manageable."
Drones are able to be deployed quickly and firefighters can get an idea of the current situation in no time. They also can help with search and rescue.
Sometimes drones can even be equipped with thermal imaging cameras and help with finding hotspots.
Fire departments across the country have been using drones more and more and it’s easy to see why. The use of drones is convenient and keeps firefighters safe at the same time.