Have you been looking to incorporate drones into your public safety business, but don’t know how? It can be incredibly daunting to adopt new technology into your workflow, but fear not.
Drone technology is becoming one of the most widely used tools for emergency services. Coptrz have helped over 75% of UK emergency services find the perfect drone solution for them! The tech allows teams to operate in a versatile manner, aiding them in adapting to ever changing situations. The 3 main benefits for drones in the sector are: save time, save money & save lives.
In this blog we’ll talk you through the benefits of using drones in the public safety sector. We’ll also share some of the top picks from across the industry.
For information on any solutions, head over to our Drones for Emergency Services page!
Save Time
When lives are at risk, there can be no time to spare. The vast majority of operations for forces are reactive rather than pre-planned. This means that teams must be dynamic and diverse when in squad cars, trucks or vans.
Drones are able to provide high definition video or thermal imaging conventional only achievable by helicopters. Now team members are able to provide aerial support in a matter of minutes and get eyes on to a target or scene.
Additionally, barriers such as dangerous terrains no longer pose as a blocker. Where cars or officers may not be able to enter the environment instantly, one team member can operate a drone while the other strategizes how to approach the situation.
An example of this would be how Search and Rescue operate with pilot to relay information to their instant command units. The ICU will then relay information onto their boots on the ground troops.
Within most drones being purchasable with built in thermal cameras, take of is now nearly instantaneous. By using thermal imaging, a team member can identify heat sources which can be followed up on.
Save Money
By using a drone on your missions, you could potentially save hours of time. Now I know what you’re thinking, didn’t we just have ‘Save Time’? By completing tasks more efficiently, your resources are then available for other tasks. This thereby brings the cost per mission done.
Drones such as the DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise Advanced cost can be purchased for £4,999 with additional batteries and various add-ons. On the other hand, you have helicopters which cost £1700ph to be in the air and complete the same task. For a 3 hour surveillance/search, you could purchase an M2EA drone which has minimal maintenance costs.
Credit // Paul Daniels
This is not to say that helicopters are not still useful, but being able to use a drone for more trivial missions will be sure to save a hefty chunk of money. Examples of these would be missing person reports, searching for suspects or crowd surveillance.
Save Lives
Most importantly, using drone technology saves lives. Firstly, you can severely lower the risk for your team by evaluating environments before entry. By sending a drone such as a Sky-Hero Loki 2 into an indoor unknown environment, the area can be surveyed prior to risking human life.
For firefighters, a drone operate is able to observe the growth/spread of a fire and see where the hotspots are. Mapping software such as Pix4D offers potential to get real-time visual overview and instantly share this information.
By sharing data with on-site teams, decision makers are able to reduce the margin for error by basing their thought processes off of up to date information. This means increased capacity for logistical coordination, more effective planning and decisions, with less risk to life, and a far greater likelihood of a positive resolution for all involved.
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Our top drone pics for Public Safety
DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise Advanced
The latest addition to the Mavic Enterprise series comes with some steep upgrades from its predecessor. Now coming with a 48MP RGB camera compared to the original 12MP, and a marketing leading 640×512 thermal camera, this drone is perfect for Search and Rescue.
Operational up to 10km with an additional 32x optical zoom, you’ll have full confidence that you’re not going to be limited by distance.
The drone has 6x directional collision avoidance and also boasts an impressive 30min flight time per battery.
Click here for more information on the M2EA
Parrot Anafi USA SE
The Anafi USA SE is a powerful, compact quadcopter purpose built for first responders. With a 32min flight time and IP rating of 53, this drone is ready to take on intense flying in adverse weather conditions.
The Anafi is also the quietest drone in its class, and is also one of the lightest weighing just 499grams.
Get operational and in the air in under 55 seconds with this small rapid deployment UAV, also compatible with Pix4D and offering autonomous flying.
Click here for more information on the Parrot Anafi USA SE
DJI Matrice 300 RTK
This is the latest commercial drone platform from DJI, taking inspiration from various modern aviation systems. The M300 sets new standards by combing intelligence with performance and reliability. The M300 also allows users to hotspot batteries, thus significantly reducing downtime.
This RTK offers up to 55 minutes of flight time and up to 15km of transmission range, as well as advanced AI capabilities. With an IP rating of 45, the M300 is also resistant to light showers.
Click here for more information on the DJI Matrice 300 RTK
Sky-Hero Loki 2
The Loki 2 provides police officers and soldiers with the capabilities to gather intelligence of immediate threats, track or anticipate targets, increase situational awareness and aid precise decision making.
This drone offers a 16 minute flight time, but can be used for up to 300mins as an idle sentry. With this in mind, Sky-Hero made the drone AES 256 encrypted, scrambling all video transmission. Additionally, the drone operates completely offline, perfect for GPS denied environments.
The Sky-Hero Loki 2 is also compatible with the Typhon DS-100 non-lethal distraction payload. This payload is only available for police or armed forces.
Click here for more information on the Sky-Hero Loki 2
Meet your industry expert
Sam is our in-house UAV expert for public safety within military, police, fire and search & rescue organisations.
Sam has supported the supply of integrated drone solutions to some of the UK’s largest and most pioneering emergency service organisations including Devon & Cornwall Police, Ministry of Defence, Kent Fire and Rescue Service, Leicester Police and Air Accidents Investigation Branch.
For a free consultation, get in contact today! – CLICK HERE
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