Safety

A Success Story

The San Bernardino County Fire Protection District Robotics Program has become a vital asset in public safety, emergency response, and interagency collaboration. The Robotics Program has supported a wide range of operations using unmanned aerial systems (UAS), otherwise known as drones, including:

• Wildlife conservation: The Robotics Program partnered with San Bernardino County Public Works to conduct a test flight for tracking burro populations.
• Fire operations: The Robotics Program conducted an Unknown Type Fire Trial Study for San Bernardino City (unknown type fires are a category of call when someone reports smoke with no source identified). Additionally, Robotics was the first on scene at a three-alarm commercial fire, mapped sections of the Line Fire, documented post-weather effects on the Bridge Fire burn scar in Wrightwood, and supported the Colton Fire Department by streaming a live aerial feed into its communications center for the first time.
• Search and rescue: The Robotics Program played a critical role in the nighttime rescue of a teenager stranded on a rock formation.

In response to these promising applications, the program is actively seeking funding for a Drone as a First Responder (DFR) program for San Bernardino City and the development of a Drone as a Fire Responder-EMS program capable of delivering cardiac defibrillators (AEDs), Narcan (for drug overdoses), and tourniquets to emergency scenes.