Visit us at WWW.FFCA.ORG 11 Miami’s coastal areas. Providing high-definition video and images from drones serves multiple purposes during a natural disaster. First and foremost, it helped us to know what areas were hit the hardest and where first responders were needed most. Pictures and videos taken by the drones after the storm enabled the City of Miami and FL-TF2 to quickly identify downed power lines, blocked roadways and waterways without putting any personnel in harm’s way. They were able to provide first responders with the real-time information and situational awareness they so readily needed. Hurricane debris site in Miami Drones also provide a quick and safe way to capture information relating to local problems and the damage that may result from catastrophic events such as floods and tornados. This early information helps incident commanders and emergency managers understand the magnitude of community impact on building infrastructure and road and living conditions. This information provides insight as to what additional resources may be needed from Public Assistance (PA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). In comparing sUAS versus the current options, inherent search and rescue delays coupled with often difficult inaccessible areas too dangerous for emergency responders may put off locating survivors stranded within these areas until it’s too late. Prolonged exposure and lack of timely medical attention dramatically lowers survival rates among undiscovered victims. This rescue gap may be mitigated through the use of drones. Deployable in a matter of minutes and equipped with onboard video cameras, drones provide actionable live video feeds (from the air), locating victims in areas that would otherwise be inaccessible (using current options), allowing for their rescue in a minimum of time. The City of Miami Fire-Rescue Department and FL-TF2 recently conducted Operation Drone Rescue on Virginia Key Beach, Florida. During this exercise, it became readily apparent that drones are capable of providing a force multiplier that will greatly enhance Search and Rescue efforts during task force deployments and operations. This capability will greatly expedite damage assessment and improve coordination of search and rescue efforts allowing for faster deployment of equipment and personnel to reach victims faster and save more lives in the process. Pre and Post-Damage Assessments Damage assessments using pre- and post- storm photos are regularly done with satellite imagery but can be adapted for UAS imagery instead. The results from these drones would allow a precise and more accurate assessment of which buildings have been damaged or destroyed and an analysis of how to best protect the area from future disasters. These systems are not designed to totally replace more traditional methods of data acquisition such as manned aircraft or satellite access but to augment them. Manned aircraft can be expensive to operate and are usually reserved for large areas such as state wide mapping. Satellite resolution can be especially problematic when damage assessments involve not just buildings or homes but environmental values that are not easily quantified. Satellite imagery today typically has a thirty centimeter resolution while UAS routinely get down to single digit numbers, such as three or four centimeter resolution data. The main benefit of this high-resolution imagery is the precision in which the damage analysis data is interpreted and the speed at which the local community as well as local authorities will have access to the data. This can allow for a swifter and more targeted response as it is possible to know precisely who and what will require compensation. With fixed-wing UAV’s, we will be able to harness the use of expert systems and advanced technologies for assessing damage caused by extreme weather anomalies such as hurricanes, tornados and flash flooding from storm and tidal surge. Fixed-wing UAV’s are able to develop and collect multiple types of data for preliminary damage assessments. The system is deployed in the field and users upload data to a secure server to be analyzed on site or at an Emergency Operations Center. The data that can be accumulated during post-damage assessments can prove to be invaluable for rescue, response, and recovery operations. Integration with other software tools such as Google Earth, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), community based and crowd-sourced information provides new and valuable opportunities for using computerized tools for disaster risk reduction and damage assessment teams. The technologies available now are useful for not just search and rescue, but also for prioritizing the deployment of emergency resources and longer term restoration and recovery of communities. Used as a force multiplier, UAV’s and the communities they serve will undoubtedly benefit tremendously from this valuable and available technology. Mark Moore has served the City of Miami Fire-Rescue Department for 24 years. He is currently the Deputy Emergency Manager for the City of Miami and Executive Officer to the Fire Chief. He has a bachelor’s degree in Disaster and Emergency Management, a master’s degree in Disaster and Emergency Management and a master’s degree in Homeland Security. April 2018 FFS.QXD 4/10/18 1:38 PM Page 11