Drone technology to help rebuild and save lives during the California Camp Fire has shown how important UAVs could be in future disasters.
In response to the fire in California, the Butte County Sheriff’s office partnered with DroneDeploy to coordinate what it claims is the largest drone disaster response in history.
As part of the work, aerial data gathered by DroneDeploy was able to identify areas of concern for key responders in planning and responding to the mudslides that resulted from the fires.
The processing speed of a drone in comparison to humans also accelerated response times to speed up ongoing search and rescue efforts and helped emergency response teams process insights faster which meant the issuance of FEMA relief funds to families was quicker.
The efficient data collection also meant human surveyors were freed up, which enabled them to assess damage faster and get wildfire victims back on their feet.
Drones used in this way will pave the way for future use in not only fire fighting but also in other emergency service aid.
In Lincolnshire earlier this year, the police force’s drone team used a UAV to catch deer hunters in the act.
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