WEST GOSHEN—Chester County first responders embraced technology, with the $17,000 purchase of a life-saving drone.
“We are using drones to save lives,” Martin Helmke, of the Fame Fire Company, West Chester Fire Department, West Chester Task Force and is a geology professor at West Chester University.
The drone will support the Chester County Rescue Task Force.
“We will use the drone when an event is large enough to exceed a fire company’s capabilities and requires additional resources,” Helmke said.
Two FAA-licensed drone operators control the two-foot-wide device, which runs from a board that resembles a very complicated game console. With the use of GPS, the drone can map an area of hundreds of acres, from a perch of up to 400 feet above ground level.
An observer watches for nearby aircraft.
The recently purchased DJI Matrice 30T drone can fly at 50 m.ph. or in 50 m.p.h. winds, but Helmke said he would only operate the drone in up to 35 mph winds.
The setup time is five minutes so satellites can find the drone’s position and the pilots can log in. A pilot can also zoom in on an area below.
“It’s not about the drone, it’s about data capability,” Helmke told a group of about two dozen sponsors and emergency responders at the West Chester Fire Department Training Center on Snyder Avenue.
Kevin Corcoran, Chester County Task Force Leader, said the device can also protect emergency responders.
“If there’s a hostile environment, why would you send a firefighter in there when you can send in a drone?” Corcoran asked. “This is the future of keeping you safe.”
Helmke told the emergency responders on Friday that drones can be invaluable at many events, including the aftermath of Hurricane Ida.
“I imagine it would have been helpful to fly above Downingtown to access the damage,” Helmke said.
Search and rescue operations could benefit.
“Imagine a person lost in a corn field,” Helmke said.
In the case of a building collapse, the stability of a structure could be evaluated, with forensic engineering before the entrance.
A thermal sensor can spot fires and people trapped inside — even at night.
West Chester Fire Department Chief Steve Pelna said that drones are “one more tool in the toolbox.”
Pelna: “Most important is safety. We want to make sure that all first responders go home the same way they came.”
Pelna said that while drones are expensive, they are expendable.
“We would much rather find a way to replace a drone than tell a firefighter’s family that their loved one was injured,” he said.
Helmke said that he hopes using the new technology helps inspire young volunteers to sign up at fire companies.
Corporate sponsorship made the purchase possible. Contributions included: Bentley Systems, Sartomer, Moose Meadows Charitable Fund and Daniels Consulting Engineers.
Dan Koval, and his employer, Bentley Systems in Eagleview, support emergency responders and the community.
“We believe in a holistic community and want our colleagues and their families to be happy, healthy and safe,” Koval said.
Gina Mazzulla works at Bentley, which supports the infrastructure of the community, and is also an EMT at Berwyn Fire Company.
“I recognize the importance of supporting our fire and EMS departments and to have a direct appreciation for what Bentley does makes this support even better,” she said.
To donate to your local emergency responders, contact your local fire company.