In an emergency, seconds count. During a fire, choosing the right door to enter or pinpointing where someone is trapped can be a deadly guessing game.
In response to emergency situations, the first tool of its kind in Southwest Florida is helping to save lives.
When North Collier County firefighters head out on a call, they respond with a $5,000 drone packed in the chief’s truck.
“As soon as we get dispatched, the drone pilot and the drone will arrive on scene,” said Chandler Craft, a drone pilot for North Collier County Fire Control and Rescue District. “They will launch.”
It’s a launch that gives firefighters a technological edge. The high-tech drone has an infrared camera and starts sending data immediately.
“Instead of doing a rule-out method — the traditional method of it’s not here, it’s not here — we can tell them this is exactly this is where the fire is,” Craft said.