Why Drones are becoming the Worlds New Frontline Responders

Drones have become increasingly valuable tools in emergency response due to their ability to quickly gather data, reach inaccessible areas, and provide real-time situational awareness. From fires to floods, to real time emergencies on mines and other high-risk environments, these new first responders are saving more and more lives as the technology develops.

Now, autonomous drones (or drone-in-a-box) systems, which are strategically installed in remote locations, can be deployed at a moment’s notice to help assess the extent of damage caused by human events or natural disasters. These systems can stream back high-resolution images and videos of incidents to central operating centres, allowing for better co-ordination of emergency response teams.  This will allow for operations to better prioritise their efforts and allocate resources efficiently when it’s needed most.

Autonomous drones compliment current aerial reconnaissance operations by providing rapid support in the initial phases of response, through providing:

1. Immediate Situational Awareness:

Following the declaration of an on-site emergency, drones may be deployed to conduct an initial assessment of the emergency or to provide insight into a developing situation. This keeps human first responders out of danger and can provide visuals to key personnel who may not have access to site or may even be far removed, such as in head offices etc.

2. Minimising False Alarms:

As a first responder, drones can provide situational awareness to an unfolding incident before the response teams are even dispatched. Sending drones ahead of your personnel can keep them out of harm’s way as well as help quantify the severity of the emergency.

3. Providing coverage in Remote & Regional Areas:

‍Rural areas traditionally suffer from a lack of adequate police and firefighting coverage, with many locations deemed inaccessible or too dangerous to access without specialised response vehicles. Drones as first responders can provide critical initial insights as well as provide feedback via attached speaker systems, assuring all those involved that help is on the way.

4. Search and Rescue operations: 

Where drones equipped with thermal imaging cameras and other sensors can be used to locate missing persons in areas that are difficult to access by foot or vehicle. They can cover large areas in a relatively short amount of time and provide real-time feedback to rescue teams on the ground.

RocketDNA’s drone-in-a-box xBot solution is purposely designed and built to support these emergency response scenarios, by providing the on-site hardware as well as video streaming software to provide immediate visual feedback at critical times of your operation. With the ability to get drones up into the skies over your site at the click of a button, we can give you unprecedented insights into an unfolding emergency.

The system is as simple as receiving a live link to your phone through email or messaging apps such as Whatsapp or Telegram; providing alive video feed of your site. Communication with our operations centre allows you to direct the drone to exactly what you want to see and can provide you with immediate eyes over an incident area.

With our own highly skilled operational pilots in remote centres around the world, you can keep your teams safe and feel empowered to make the big decisions required of emergency situations.

By leveraging the capabilities of drones in emergency response, authorities can improve their ability to mitigate the impacts of disasters, save lives, and facilitate the recovery process more efficiently.