Florence County Emergency Response Team shows off new drone

The Florence County Emergency Response Team demonstrated its new drone Monday at the Florence County Sheriff’s Office Training Facility.

The Unmanned Aerial System provides the Emergency Response Team with the necessary equipment to respond to chemical spills and accidents involving hazardous materials in a more safe and cost-effective way.

According to a news release from Florence County Emergency Management, the UAS mainly will be used to identify chemicals and assess scenes that the ERT would not have access to. The device also can be used to assess damage during accidents or natural disasters and to help in various search operations.

FCEM Public Information Officer Andrew Golden used a truck carrying hazardous chemicals as an example.

“If a truck gets in an accident and spills its contents on the highway … this UAS will be able to fly over the truck, see what it is and get out of there without sending our men down range,” Golden said.

The use of this UAS prevents the use of HAZ-MAT suits, which in turn saves money. Suits cost an average of $1,500 each. ERT officials are sent out in pairs to assess a chemical spill, costing approximately $3,000 each time two officials use them. Suits must be discarded after being used near hazardous chemicals. The UAS costs approximately $12,000, but in time it potentially could pay for itself.

“The cost of this is going to save us money in the end,” Golden said.

The UAS can fly for up to 35 minutes at a time and can cover a range of 1.2 miles. The device also can operate at night, as it is equipped with infrared technology that can sense heat signatures on the ground. FCEM is the only agency authorized to fly the device, but any other agency can request the use of it. Six individuals from FCEM are trained to pilot the UAS.

The UAS was purchased with funds from the Florence County Local Emergency Management Committee. That money is collected from companies that house hazardous materials. Companies are charged a $50 fee per chemical up to $2,500. According to Golden, that is a small fee to ensure the safety of both the community and the FCEM team.

“We saw (the UAS) as a way to not only help individuals … but to also help our responders,” Golden said. “Anytime we can keep them out of harm’s way, it’s priceless.”

This story was originally published December 21, 2015 at 10:38 PM with the headline "Florence County Emergency Response Team shows off new drone."