A drone hovered in the air Monday as about 100 firefighters from Kankakee, Iroquois and Will counties battled a brush fire in Pembroke Township.
William Neumann, the director of communications for the Orland Park Fire Protection District, live streamed video footage from his drone to other departments through his personal Facebook page. It helped them track the fire, protect structures and, above all else, assure nobody got injured.
"It improves accessibility and safety," said Neumann, who started deploying his drone at house fires a year ago. "We can follow the crews and keep an eye on them. It's like Big Brother, only you're tracking a fire and saving time."