A quick decision to break out a new drone may have saved a life at a June 17 fire scene.
Scott Wolfe was out to dinner with his family that Friday when he got a call about a fire at the MARS Horsecare facility in Dalton. Crews from multiple departments responded.
A drone with thermal imaging technology the Wooster Township Fire Department had acquired just days earlier was about to be thrust into service for the first time, and Wolfe was the only one on staff qualified to operate it.
Dinner would have to wait. Wolfe, a volunteer water rescue team diver for the department and certified drone pilot, raced out after swinging by the station to pick up the drone and put it through a quick test run. The DJI M30T is one of the newest drones on the market, said Wolfe. It's ready to fly within 30 seconds of being turned on and can soar as high as 400 feet within 20 seconds.