The robotics program for the San Bernadino County, CA, Fire Department is making its new drone the first responder for fires.
KCAL News got a first-hand look the department’s new pilot program.
San Bernadino County Fire Engineer Jeffrey Alexy, the program’s manager, says the idea is to send the drone to “unknown fires.”
“A citizen sees something, but they don’t know what it is that is burning,” Alexy explained.
As he was explaining it to KCAL, one of those calls came in.
“A person saw smoke, but doesn’t know what it is,” he said.
With Alexy at the controls, the drone, flying at 50 mph, found a small fire and an engine was immediately dispatched to the location.
“A lot of times, in the city of San Bernadino the fire is a warming fire for the homeless, a cooking fire or sometimes just trash that is burning,” Alexy said.
The drone has a built-in speaker with recorded messages that can tell someone to put the fire out.
San Bernadino County Fire Department Public Information Officer Eric Sherwin reported that “In the last three months of 2024, the city of San Bernadino alone ran 833 unknown-type fires.” Adding that almost all of them end up being unfounded.
The drone can also send back live video to firefighters on their tablets or trucks, allowing them to see what is happening before they get there.
Alexy is hoping the program catches on and can be shared throughout the county.
