CONWAY, SC (WBTW) – Horry County Fire Rescue recently bought a Phantom 3 Drone for its Fire Investigations Unit.
HCFR Captain Matt Rice says the drone will help in fire investigations, search and rescue missions and large scale fires.
“It gives people an overhead view,” he said.
The drone has a high resolution camera and built in GPS tracking system. Operators can look at a map on the iPad and see precisely where the drone is. According to Rice, the device can also maintain a flight pattern and store memory.
The drone and accessories cost about $2,000.
“The potential return on a small investment like that is huge for us,” explained Rice
He says an eye in the sky will enhance the public’s safety and better protect firefighters in doing their job.
“We can get it airborne in about 5 minutes,” he said.
Before Horry County Fire Rescue can put the drone to good use, the department will need to get certified with the FAA as an emergency services organization. Rice says this is a pretty extensive process. They have to develop, write and submit all standard operating procedures and guidelines.
“Then potentially they can come out and inspect all of our equipment,” said Rice.
On top of that, The department has to submit flight hours and training logs for everybody that has flown the drone. The data has to be submitted by the 5th of every month.
The process on average lasts 60 to 90 days, but for some nearby agencies it has taken much longer.
Myrtle Beach Police Department got its drone almost a year ago and they’re still not certified to fly.
However, Murrells Inlet- Garden City Fire Department received its FAA certificate after about five months.
Rice hopes to get the paperwork sent off as quickly as possible. In the meantime, he says they’ll be using the drone for training.
