Aerial drones soon could become the latest tool in the Duluth Fire Department's arsenal of resources.
On Monday, firefighter Nick Fleming briefed Duluth City Council members on an initiative he called the SUAS project — short for Small Unmanned Aircraft System. "For about the past 1½ years, we've been working on developing a small unmanned aircraft system for the Duluth Fire Department, primarily for our hazmat program. But we can see other uses across the entire city," he said.
Fleming predicted drones could prove useful tools for structure fires, wildfires, incidents involving hazardous materials, search and rescue operations, surveying the damage from natural disasters and assessing the structural integrity of damaged buildings before potentially sending people into harm's way. He said drones also could be used to help other departments with mapping, surveying, inspecting, documenting and even assisting law enforcement with crime scene surveys and accident reconstructions.