developing an unmanned aerial system standard operating

Running head: DEVELOPING AN UNMANNED AERIAL SYSTEM STANDARD

Developing an Unmanned Aerial System Standard Operating Procedure

for Douglas County Fire District No. 2

Scott Richardson

Douglas County Fire District No. 2, Sutherlin, Oregon

DEVELOPING AN UNMANNED AERIAL SYSTEM STANDARD 2

CERTIFICATION STATEMENT

I hereby certify this paper constitutes my own product, that where language of others is

set forth, quotation marks so indicate, and that appropriate credit is given where I have used the

language, idea, expression, or writings of another.

Signed: Scott Richardson

Date: November 20, 2018


Abstract

The problem for Douglas County Fire District No. 2 (DCFD2) was that it had acquired a

new unmanned aerial system (UAS) but had not yet developed a standard operating procedure

for its utilization in fire department operations. The purpose of this research was to develop a

standard operating procedure for the utilization of unmanned aerial vehicles in fire department

operations that assist in meeting the needs of DCFD2 and the community.

Action research methods were used to answer the following research questions:

1. What training is required for the pilots of unmanned aerial systems?

2. What are the legal and political considerations when utilizing unmanned aerial

systems?

3. What are the advantages or disadvantages of using unmanned aerial systems?

4. How are fire departments currently utilizing unmanned aerial systems to assist in fire

department operations?

5. What types of unmanned aerial systems would be best suited for use in the fire

service?

The procedures included research and literature reviews, survey distribution, collection

and analysis, and personal interviews with key stakeholders. The results of the research provided

significant insight and answers to the research questions. Recommendations from the research

included forming a UAS committee, develop a public relations strategy on UAS, search for

possible UAS pilots from outside the department, and consider some joint partnerships with

other governmental agencies who may also be utilizing or considering the use of UAS.


Table of Contents

Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………………3

Table of Contents………………………………………………………………………………….4

Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………..5

Background/Significance………………………………………………………………………….5

Literature Review………………………………………………………………………………….7

Procedures………………………………………………………………………………………..26

Results……………………………………………………………………………………………31

Discussion………………………………………………………………………………………..41

Recommendations………………………………………………………………………………..49

Reference List……………………………………………………………………………………52

Appendix A: Survey- Utilization of Unmanned Aerial Systems in the Fire Service……………57

Appendix B: Interview Guide- John Markovich..……………………………………………….68

Appendix C: Interview Guide- Rob Bullock..…………………………………………………...69

Appendix D: Interview Guide- Chris Heppel..…………………………………………………..70

Appendix E: Interview Guide- Jeff Turchetto..………………………………………………….71

Appendix F: Interview Guide- Wayne Stinson..………………………………………………...72

Appendix G: DCFD2 Standard Operating Procedure for UAS- Draft..………………………...73


Fire service trade magazines are almost guaranteed these days to have an article

regarding unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and their growing use in the fire service or emergency

services. The fire service is like any other industry in the country, continually exploring new

technologies that could be used to provide a higher level of service to their customers. Aerial

drones have definitely arrived and provide unique opportunities for organizations to begin

utilizing them more and more.

The problem for Douglas County Fire District No. 2 (DCFD2) is that it has acquired a

new UAS but has not yet developed a standard operating procedure for its utilization in fire

department operations. The purpose of this research is to develop a standard operating procedure

for the utilization of UAS’s in fire department operations that assist in meeting the needs of

DCFD2 and the community. The research methods for this paper included literature reviews,

survey distribution, collection and analysis, and personal interviews with key stakeholders or

other area subject experts.

Action research was used to answer the following research questions: (a) What training is

required for the pilots of unmanned aerial systems? (b) What are the legal and political

considerations when utilizing unmanned aerial systems? (c) What are the advantages or

disadvantages of using unmanned aerial systems? (d) How are fire departments currently

utilizing unmanned aerial systems to assist in fire department operations? (e) What types of

unmanned aerial systems would be best suited for use in the fire service?

Background and Significance

DCFD2 was formed in 1952 and is a combination volunteer and career fire district that

serves an urban and rural area of Douglas County in southern Oregon. It serves the communities

of Dixonville, Green, Melrose, Winchester, Wilbur, Garden Valley, Umpqua, Calapooia, and


unincorporated areas of the City of Roseburg. It is governed by a five-member elected Board of

Directors that meet monthly. The fire district protects over 37,000 citizens from seven

strategically located fire stations within its 95-square mile area providing fire, emergency

medical services, technical rescue, and other emergency services. It also provides advanced life

support ambulance transportation to several areas of the district. (“DCFD2 About Us,” 2018).

The fire district administrative staff includes a fire chief, deputy chief, fire marshal, and

two support staff. Its labor force includes thirty-six career firefighter/paramedics that are

represented by the International Association of Firefighters Local 2091. There are three shifts at

the fire district that work a forty-eight hour on followed by ninety-six hours off shift schedule.

The fire district also utilizes twenty to thirty volunteer and college fire science students to

augment staffing. The fire district responds to approximately 5000 calls a year. The fire district

has an operating budget of $12,431,959 for fiscal year 2018-2019 (“DCFD Budget,” 2018-2019).

During the summer of 2017 DCFD2 had an employee who was injured at work causing

him to have to go on light duty work. Since it was a work-related injury the workers

compensation carrier for the fire district offered to buy the fire district a UAS to provide the

worker with a tool needed to complete some assigned light duty work for the organization. The

fire chief tasked him with using the UAS to map out all the entry and exit points on our river

systems for our water rescue team to use. This task had never been completed before and it was

the belief that using the UAS would be extremely beneficial to accomplishing this goal.

After some discussion with DCFD2’s insurance carrier it was quickly realized that the

fire district needed to establish some standard operating procedures for the organization in

regards to UAS. This has not been completed yet and it is the hope that this research will help

meet that need for the organization.


This research paper directly relates to the National Fire Academy Executive Analysis of

Fire Service Operations in Emergency Management course goal which is to provide the

knowledge and skills they need to effectively analysis fire service operations in emergency

management to better prepare communities for large-scale, multiagency, all-hazards incidents

(Department of Homeland Security- United States Fire Administration, 2018, p. ix). The

evolving use of UAS could have an enormously positive impact during larger events that

organizations may face.

This research paper also directly relates to the United States Fire Administration

operational objective and strategic goal of enhancing the fire and emergency services’ capability

for response to and recovery from all hazards (U.S. Fire Administration, 2014-2018). As new

technology is introduced it should always be examined to see if there is the possibility that new

discoveries or inventions can enhance the organization’s response to many types of incidents.

The use of new UAS is definitely a growing trend among the fire service throughout the country.

Literature Review

An extensive literature review regarding UAS was conducted by the researcher. This

involved visits to local libraries including the Douglas County Library branches in Roseburg and

Sutherlin Oregon. It also included extensive research at the National Emergency Training Center

(NETC Library) in Emmitsburg, Maryland. The researcher also conducted an in depth online

internet research to learn more about UAS and how other organizations utilize UAS. Also

included in the research were a survey and various interviews.

The intent of the research was to discover what other researchers had learned regarding

UAS and the utilization of them in emergency services. In an effort to help answer the research


questions it was also important to evaluate the information other researchers found regarding the

use of UAS.

First, it’s important to clarify the terms that are used when talking about UAS. There are

several terms used that can cause some confusion among people. The Federal Aviation

Administration (FAA) normally uses the term unmanned aerial systems or UAS. The FAA’s

description of a UAS is an unmanned aircraft, and the equipment necessary for the safe and

efficient operation of that aircraft (Federal Aviation Administration [FAA], 2018).

The other terms that people may hear are UAV or drones. UAV stands for unmanned

aerial vehicle and is just the actual aircraft that flies around to collect data and imagery (“What’s

the Difference,” n.d.). Thanks to the increasing media coverage regarding them, the other term

one will hear more often is simply drone. The hobby world has also latched on to the term drone

and uses it almost exclusively for marketing purposes to sell their systems.

The amount of new information on UAS is extensive. The actual history of UAS is not

new and dates back many years but the advances in technology combined with the decrease in

the price of the systems has caused UAS to become more and more common in both industry and

recreational use. New data and information on these systems appear every day. This literature

review focused on finding information to assist in answering the research questions provided and

the use of UAS in the fire service.

Training Required to Operate UAS

According to the FAA, government agencies have two options when flying a UAS. The

first option is to operate under and follow Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CRF) Part 107,

including aircraft and pilot requirements. The second option is to obtain and operate under a

blanket public certificate of waiver or authorization (COA) (“Know Before,” 2018).


Option 1: 14 CRF Part 107

The FAA developed 14 CRF Part 107 which went in to effect on August 29, 2016 to deal

with and provide some oversight and direction for the growing use of UAS in the United States.

When it comes to training requirements to operate a UAS, Part 107 is very clear. It requires the

following for all pilots of UAS (FAA, 2018):

1. By at least 16 years old.

2. Be able to read, speak, write, and understand English (exceptions may be made if the

person is unable to meet one of these requirements for a medical reason, such as hearing

impairment).

3. Be in a physical and mental condition to safely operate a small UAS.

4. Pass the initial aeronautical knowledge exam at an FAA-approved knowledge testing

center.

5. Pass a Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) security screening.

Once these things are completed the pilot will receive a remote pilot certificate from the

FAA which is good for two years. Pilots must pass a recurrent online training or recurrent

knowledge test every two years to keep their pilot certificate (FAA, 2018).

The knowledge test contains 60 questions and has a minimum passing score of 70%. The

test is fairly in depth. A local UAS pilot who is also a general aviation pilot stated that it was

fairly easy for him but only because he has extensive training as a general pilot. His belief was

that it was a tough test for the general public (John Markovich, personal communication,

September 24, 2018).

The FAA website provides a long list of topics that the general knowledge test includes.

They are the following (FAA, 2018):


• Applicable regulations relating to small unmanned aircraft system rating

privileges, limitations, and flight operation

• Airspace classification and operating requirements, and flight restrictions

affecting small unmanned aircraft operation

• Aviation weather sources and effects of weather on small unmanned aircraft

performance

• Small unmanned aircraft loading and performance

• Emergency procedures

• Crew resource management

• Radio communication procedures

• Determining the performance of small unmanned aircraft

• Physiological effects of drugs and alcohol

• Aeronautical decision-making and judgment

• Airport operations

• Maintenance and preflight inspection procedures

Option 2: Certificate of Waiver or Authorization (COA)

The other avenue a fire department could go in operating a UAS is to obtain a COA. The

process to obtain a COA is more difficult but may be better suited for the fire service. To obtain

a COA an organization must go through an application process and apply to the FAA. It appears

that many organizations have decided to obtain both a COA and use Part 107 for certification

(Dukowitz, 2018). This certainly has some advantages. Organizations can use Part 107 to make

sure their UAS pilots are fully trained to FAA standards. Tom Agos who works for Gurnee

Police Department in Illinois stated this regarding using both paths for their UAS program:


We feel like it’s smart to do both because it adds a certain air of professionalism to the

program. The (Part 107) licensing of the pilots is for the benefit and protection of our

officers, to reassure the public that we are taking all responsible steps to do things safely

and by the book, and it’s also for our insurance carrier. (Dukowitz, 2018, p. 1)

If using both paths helps with credibility or liability issues it may be worthwhile.

The benefits of obtaining a COA is the flexibility it would give the program. What a

COA allows an organization to do is not follow all the detailed rules of Part 107. For example,

Part 107 has rules that prohibit the following (FAA, 2018):

• Flying at night

• Flying beyond visual line of sight

• Flying over people

• Flying above 400 feet

• Flying in controlled airspace

With a COA, an organization doesn’t have to follow all these rules. Also, with a COA,

organizations can self-certify their own pilots. However, organizations will have to prove and

provide documentation to the FAA demonstrating that their organization has established a

training program and that their pilots have been adequately trained (Dukowitz, 2018).

One interesting idea found by Robert Brill in his research paper was that a fire district in

Menlo Park California decided to team up with their local university to help conduct training

(Brill, 2018, p. 19). Reaching out to learning institutions that are probably researching and using

UAS more and more appears to be a possible approach to implementing some training. Clearly,

when it comes to a UAS it doesn’t need to be only fire service people involved with putting a

program together. Developing partnerships with your local colleges is a progressive idea.


Legal and Political Considerations

When it comes to UAS it’s important to discuss and consider what legal and political

issues may arise with their use. Clearly, the public may be concerned with privacy issues when

using high-tech drones that have cameras or thermal imagers on them. These issues must not be

ignored when putting together a UAS program for your organization.

Legal Considerations

The primary importance is that a UAS program follows all the FAA guidelines and keeps

up to date with current laws. It’s inevitable that changes will occur since the use of the UAS is

still evolving as their use becomes more mainstream. Whether an organization decides to

operate under Part 107 or a COA, the rules must be followed.

Other legal considerations to think about are state or local regulations regarding UAS. So

far, 41 states have enacted laws addressing UAS and their usage (“Current Unmanned,” 2018).

The problem is that many of the laws found during this literature review are directed at law

enforcement use and not the fire service. For example, the state of Oregon passed House Bill

2710 in 2013 that established guidelines for law enforcement agencies flying drones in the state.

The rule allows agencies to operate a UAS if there is an imminent threat to lives or safety, for

search and rescue, and for crime-scene reconstruction (Darling, 2018). How exactly this relates

to the fire service is a little vague in the law. But once again, the use of UAS is fairly new to the

mainstream and laws are constantly changing or being enacted.

There may also be local laws to consider in your jurisdiction regarding the use of UAS.

In a report conducted in 2017 by Arthur Michel titled, “Local and State Drone Laws,” he found

that 133 localities had enacted rules for UAS (Michel, 2017). Localities adopting new rules or

laws doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon. However, there are seven states that have


actually adopted laws banning local government regulation of UAS (Virginia, Arizona,

Delaware, Rhode Island, Michigan, Oregon, and Maryland) (Michel, 2017). Many of the local

laws passed deal with privacy issues and operating UAS over private property. A number of

these rules may contradict federal authority and could result in legal conflict. Clearly, there are

challenges when looking at the federal, state, or local laws regarding UAS.

Political Considerations

Political issues regarding UAS can’t be disregarded or ignored. In several articles of

literature on the usage of UAS in the fire service, it states that it’s critically important to engage

the public regarding your UAS program.

The International Association of Fire Chiefs went so far as to state that it’s imperative to

gain community acceptance of your UAS program. It recommends a community engagement

plan to get the public’s support (International Association of Fire Chiefs [IAFC], 2018). Their

opinion is that it’s important to educate the public on the benefits and operational controls that

the organization has in place. This would also be a great time to educate the public on the legal

guidelines for use and any compliance with city, county, state, and federal policies, ordinances,

or laws (IAFC, 2018).

Privacy issues seem to be the main concern of the public. The FAA has taken a more

hands-off approach in regards to the privacy issues and has allowed states to make their own

decisions regarding any privacy laws. The FAA’s biggest concern seems to be controlling and

regulating the airspace. One article noted that a fire service drone program cannot be successful

without the support and buy-in from the community (PowerDMS, 2017, p. 7). It went on to

discuss how important it is to have very clear policies and procedures and provide those to the

public to help address their concerns (PowerDMS, 2017, p. 7).


The U.S. Department of Homeland Security also released a document titled, “Best

Practices for Protecting Privacy, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties in Unmanned Aircraft Systems

Program.” In this document, they also echo the sentiments of others when they state, “Public

support is essential for an unmanned aircraft programs success. A program that not transparent

according to applicable laws, agency policies, and best practices may quickly lose support and

create misperceptions about the program’s intended mission” (U.S. Department of Homeland

Security, 2015, p. 10). Clearly, everyone is in agreement that without public support an

organization will struggle with the development of a successful UAS program.

Advantages or Disadvantages of using UAS

Advantages

Currently, the main advantage of using UAS in public safety is the overall information

that can be quickly and efficiently gathered. Several articles in the past several years have been

written about all the possible advantages that UAS can provide to the fire service. One article by

the website Drone Definition list six reasons that UAS are the future of the fire service. They

were (Drone Definition, 2017, p. 2):

• Provides Visuals and Maps

• See Through the Smoke (with infrared capabilities)

• Long-Term Monitoring & Alerts

• Reach Those Tough-to-Reach Areas

• Deliver Supplies

• Provide Internet Signals

This list only really scratches the service of the use of UAS and how they could enhance public

safety both in the fire service and law enforcement.


The law enforcement community is also beginning to see the advantages of a UAS

program. A Police One website article also lists several ways that UAS can help in the public

safety world. They are (Wells, 2016):

• Search and Rescue Operations

• Police Pursuits

• Ambulance Drones (Medical Supply Delivery)

• Improve Fire Extinguisher Technology

• Disaster Relief

• Temporary Communications

An incident commander being able to see a clear 360 view of an incident would be

extremely valuable. One article stated this fact very well when they discussed how UAS can fill

in the gaps by capturing snapshots about response operations in real-time (Clark, 2018). This

would allow incident commanders to make tactical adjustments if needed. Also, let’s not forget

the increase in safety that having an overhead view may provide to firefighters on the scene.

Clearly, there’s a huge benefit to being able to see the entire scene and any changes that may be

occurring. For example, the thought of being able to see roof operations in real time would be

very advantageous.

Another interesting study was completed in 2018 by the 51st Hawaii International

Conference on Systems Sciences about the practical potential of UAS for firefighters. They

actually conducted this research with the German fire service conducting interviews and surveys

with firefighters from across Germany (Weidinger, Schlauderer, & Overhage, 2018). Their

findings also came up with potential advantages and disadvantages. The biggest advantage they

came up with was also the informational advantage it could provide incident commanders


(Weidinger et al., 2018). They also came up with other advantages in how the information

gathered is live and that there is the strong potential in the increase of firefighter safety by seeing

critical factors before it’s too late to make tactical changes (Weidinger et al., 2018).

Disadvantages

Keeping in mind that the use of UAS in the fire service is fairly new and expanding,

some of the disadvantages may be realized more as time goes on. Several articles of literature

discuss some disadvantages of UAS. One of the first disadvantages to a UAS program is the cost

of a UAS. While these costs have gone down over the years there is certainly a financial aspect

that organizations will have to consider when deciding to implement a program.

Sarah Whittaker wrote a good article for a drone website discussing UAS in the fire

service and the advantages and also some drawbacks. It discussed the financial aspects of a

program and all the training involved as possible drawbacks (Whittaker, 2018). Of interest also

was the talk about the impact that having a UAS program may have on staffing and how it is

something to really think about and consider (Whittaker, 2018). For example, it takes dedicated

people to operate a UAS and many organizations don’t have extra personnel to solely dedicate

just to the operation of a UAS. Many organizations are going to have to decide who is going to

operate these systems and what impact that will have on your overall staffing.

Once again, the Hawaii study was interesting to look at because it went in to detail

regarding several disadvantages or negative issues involving the use of UAS. They listed the

following as potential disadvantages (Weidinger et al., 2018):

• Personnel Effort

• Costs

• Limited Range of Application


• Training Involved

• Operation Complexity

• Maintenance

• Organizational Effort

• Evaluation Effort

• Resistance to Change

• Space / Storage Requirements

• Information Overload

• Decision-Making Complexity

These are definitely all things to consider when looking into a UAS program for your

organization. The other potential concern found by this researcher came from a few chief

officers and is the large amount of data collected. How and where an organization is going to

store this data is a concern (Rob Bullock, personal communication, October 30, 2018).

An article in Fire Rescue magazine also discussed challenges with a UAS program. One

challenge it discussed was that frequently at emergency scenes there may be privately owned

drones flying around which may cause issues with the operation of a public safety UAS (Davies,

2017, p. 14). There is some technology used in many UAS in terms of crash avoidance but the

question remains, is that technology good enough yet to avoid crashes with objects or other

UAS? Having privately owned drones operating near emergencies is nothing new to the

wildland firefighting community. Numerous reports of air operations being shut down due to a

private drone flying nearby have been reported the past several years.

Other drawbacks that Gary Lorenz noted in his Executive Fire Officer research was how

the weather impacts UAS operations. This was especially important to Gary Lorenz for his fire


department in Fargo North Dakota that sees very extreme weather (Lorenz, 2017, p. 17).

Weather can play a critical factor in flight performance of the UAS. The majority of UAS are

not yet fully capable of being safely operated in the rain, wind, or extreme temperatures. This is

obviously a huge factor depending on your location and your local weather. The weather can

also cause problems with the battery life of UAS (Lorenz, 2017, p. 17). The colder temperatures

can reduce the amount of time the batteries will last.

The other and potential biggest disadvantage of the use of UAS is the lack of support

from the citizens in your local area. Just as stated above, it’s going to be very hard to have a

successful UAS program if the public doesn’t support it or wants to cause roadblocks with legal

or privacy concerns. Even with all the concerns of UAS, there are certainly ways that a UAS

could enhance operations for a fire department.

UAS in Fire Department Operations

One doesn’t have to search very hard to find articles or stories written on UAS and how

they are being used both in the fire service and also other public organizations. They are

becoming or have been one of the hot topics nationwide in the fire service for the past several

years.

Fire Chief magazine did a sit-down question and answer session regarding UAS in the

fire service with Chief Otto Drozd III, who is the Fire Chief of Orange County Fire Rescue

Department in Florida. Chief Drozd came up with a list of all the different areas that UAS could

be used in fire department operations. Some of the uses he came up with were (Hatt, 2018, p. 2):

• Scene Size-Up

• Structure Fires Overview

• Hazardous Materials Response


• Damage Assessments

• Air Monitoring

• EMS Response / Automatic External Defibrillator Deployment

• Wide Area Searches

• Water Rescue / Technical Rescue

• Pre-Incident Planning

• Transportation Accidents

• Special Event Planning / Monitoring

• Chemical Detection

Chief Drozd went on to say that he believes the fire service is only beginning to scratch

the surface on the capabilities and uses of UAS (Hatt, 2018, p. 3).

The International Association of Fire Chiefs has also written on the use of UAS in the fire

service and how beneficial they could be. They looked at them from a fire service viewpoint and

how UAS could be used in operations. They came up with the following six areas and some

ideas for each (IAFC, 2018, p. 2-3):

1. Structural Firefighting

• Rapid 360 Surveys of Building

• View of Interior of Large Structures

• Viability of Roof Operations

• Recording Incidents for Investigation, Documentation, and Training

2. Wildland Firefighting

• Search and Find Smoke Sightings

• Determine Direction of Fire Movement


• Perform Backlighting Rapidly

• Triage Structures Rapidly

• Track Crews

• Record Burn Patterns and Size of Fire

3. Rescue Operations

• Survey Search Area

• Use Thermal Imaging to Help Locate Victims

• Deliver Food, Water, or other Emergency Supplies

• Survey Large Area Transportation Accidents

• Provide Video or Images of Victims

4. Hazardous Materials

• Determine Location and Identify Involved Materials

• Monitor Atmosphere

• Monitor Hot Zones

• Documentation for After Action Reports, Training, or Legal Issues

5. Emergency Medical Services

• Provide an Automatic External Defibrillator

• Determine Best Locations for Certain Operational Groups in Mass

Casualty Incidents

• Survey Large Events

6. Disaster Response

• Conduct Rapid Damage Assessments

• View Levees or Flood Walls


• Rapidly Notify People with Verbal Notifications

• Evaluate Viability of Roadways for Evacuation

• Document Response and Damage for FEMA Reporting

Robert Brill of the Wilmette Fire Department in Illinois conducted a similar research

project on developing a UAS program for his department. He also carried out a large survey

similar to this research asking fire departments with a current UAS program how they are using

their UAS. Here are some of his findings (Brill, 2018, p. 60):

• Structure Fire Rapid Assessment

• Damage Assessment

• Evaluating Training Evolutions and Firefighter Performance

• Hazardous Materials Incident Assessments

• Assessment of Conditions in Difficult Areas

• Water Rescue Incidents

• Technical Rescue Assessment

• Structural Collapse Incident Assessments

• Pre-Plans

• Fire Investigations

• Locating Missing Persons

• Weed Abatement, Illegal Fireworks

• Arson Investigations

• Code Enforcement Roof Inspections

• Wildland Fire Scouting, Size-up, Evaluation

• Bomb Squad- Survey Potential Explosives


• Traffic Management

The use of UAS in the fire service has certainly been expanding to other areas. There

definitely seems to be endless opportunities for their use across many different spectrums.

One interesting use found was how other countries are beginning to do some studies on

UAS delivering automatic external defibrillators (AED) during cardiac events. One study was

conducted by the Scandinavian Journal of Trauma Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine.

They concluded during their long study and actual trials of dropping off an AED with a UAS that

it could have an enormous impact on cardiac survivability, especially in the more rural areas

(Claesson et al., 2016, p. 9). That is certainly a way of thinking outside the box in regards to

early defibrillation for cardiac arrest victims.

Wildland firefighters are also beginning to realize the benefits that a UAS could provide

to them. This has been observed for the past several years on the West Coast during the summer

fire seasons. For example, just this past year in Southern Oregon a UAS was used to ignite

burnout operations in very steep terrain during a large wildland fire (“Drone Used to Ignite,”

2018).

Both the Forest Service and other wildland firefighting organizations are starting to use

UAS for various operations. However, the wildland firefighting community also has a valid

concern with UAS. Shannon Mills wrote an article titled, “The Love-Hate Relationship Between

Drones & Wildland Firefighters.” Even with all the benefits of using a UAS in the wildland

environment, there is one huge concern, and that is the amount of private UAS that show up near

wildfires forcing all air operations to shut down (Mills, 2018). That can have a huge impact on

the growth of fires. Just in 2016 alone, there were more than 40 UAS flights that interfered with

wildfires and then in 2017 there were another 25 (Mills, 2018). That is certainly a real problem


that needs to be addressed. The FAA has implemented some steep penalties ranging from

$1000-$25000 for using UAS near fires (FAA, 2018). Hopefully, between hefty fines and some

public education, the rate of private UAS interference will decrease around wildland fires or

other emergency scenes.

When looking at the use of UAS it’s also important to consider the future and some

possible technological advances that may enhance the use of UAS. Robert Avsec wrote an

article for Fire Rescue 1 where he discussed the future and some possible expanding operational

uses. Some of the areas he felt could change in the future are UAS deployment in package

delivery and communications (Avsec, 2018). One example he presented was how during a

flood they used UAS to deliver body bags, AED’s, and other equipment (Avsec, 2018). Another

innovative example was when they attached a cell phone to a UAS, entered a text message, hit

send, and launched the UAS (Avsec, 2018). When it was able to reach a high enough altitude

and connect to a tower, the message was able to be sent. In fact, DV8 Tech, a technology

company, recently won an award for the developing of a UAS with a built-in mini cell tower to

be used by first responders during a disaster (Kozubowski, 2018).

The other option the industry is looking at is how to either enhance or discontinue the

uses of batteries. The batteries are usually what limits flight time. Some manufacturers are

looking at a small internal combustion engine to run a generator to charge the batteries which

could greatly increase flight times. There is also the possibility of using UAS to enhance radio

communication by installing a radio repeater on the UAS (Avsec, 2018). Many places across the

country struggle with radio communications and this could potentially help that.


Types of UAS for Fire Service Use

When considering the different types or manufacturers of UAS the most important thing

to consider is what your needs are as an organization. This was echoed among many different

articles of literature when determining what to purchase. Chief Otto Drozd III stated this in his

interview with Fire Chief Magazine. He said that a really good quality needs assessment should

be completed before purchasing a UAS to make sure the organization gets what will best fit their

needs (Hatt, 2018). An article in Fire Rescue Magazine had similar statements. It identified the

most important factor when considering a UAS is to determine how the organization is going to

use their UAS and develop some objectives (Clark, 2018). After the objectives are determined,

then organizations can start to search out different manufacturers that can produce a UAS that

meets their needs (Clark, 2018). The IAFC also recommends doing an in-depth cost/benefit

analysis to help the organization determine if the purchase of a UAS is reasonable during

economically challenging times (IAFC, 2018).

The IAFC found that the most common type of UAS used in the fire service is the multi-

rotor or quad-copter platform and weighs less than 55 pounds (IAFC, 2018). The article also

states a couple of limitations with this size of UAS. Flight time is based on battery life and

drones of this size can only carry certain sized batteries. They are also greatly affected by wind

and precipitation (IAFC, 2018).

There is a multitude of UAS available in various sizes and configurations. Just like most

literature suggests, the type best suited for the fire service depends not only on the mission but

also the region and weather characteristics. Some characteristics that appeal to the fire service

would be quick deployment, extended runtime, range, ability to work in weather/wind, flight


stability, ease of operation, GPS capabilities, and cameras (John Markovich, personal

communication, September 24, 2018).

The most popular UAS brands are DJI, Parrot, and Yuneec, with DJI leading the market

in both reviews and popularity. According to literature online, DJI holds about 70% of the

market share (Valentak, 2017). However, this doesn’t mean that DJI should be the only UAS

manufacturer that an organization should consider. Which UAS to purchase should be a

personal organizational preference based on a number of factors that include the organization’s

objectives, budget, and other features.

DJI stands for Da-Jaing Innovations (DJI) and is a Chinese technology company

headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong with manufacturing facilities throughout the world.

They market their UAS to many different industries. On their website, they have a section for

public safety UAS and list several different types of UAS that can be used in public safety. Just

some of the few they list under public safety are (DJI, 2018):

• M210

• Phantom 4 Pro

• Mavic 2 Zoom

• Matrice 6000 Pro

Clearly, there are many other UAS and different manufactories to consider.

Organizations should look at all their options before deciding what to purchase.

Another factor to consider is the kind of accessories the organization needs or requires.

There are several different types of technologies that may be desired such as HD cameras, HD

video, 3d mapping, thermal imaging, and tethering system for continuous power. The options


for different manufacturers and technologies are continuously expanding. It is important to

consider all the options in relation to your organization’s goals before making a purchase.

Procedures

The first part of this research involved various article reviews and internet searches to

gather general information on the use of UAS in the fire service, the training required,

advantages or disadvantages, and the different types of UAS for the fire service. It also included

research on the ever-expanding uses of UAS in fire department operations. The intent was to

gather a wide range of information to enable the researcher to begin to put together a standard

operating procedure for his department. One slight limitation noted during this research was the

sheer amount of information on UAS. This is a newer technology that is expanding every day

and if you read any fire service literature there is probably a new article with new information on

UAS.

The researcher designed and conducted one survey for this research. The website Survey

Monkey was used to create a ten-question survey that was sent out to 82 fire departments across

Oregon to gather some information about UAS in Oregon and how the Oregon fire service has

begun to utilize them. The survey was also posted to an EFO student Facebook page to try to

reach more departments across the country. Several different types of scales were used in the

development of the survey. For example, some questions were simple yes or no questions and

others were open-ended questions seeking a written response from the department’s

representatives. The following ten questions were asked:

1. What is the size of your organization?

2. Does your organization own an Unmanned Aerial System (Drone)?


3. If your agency does own a UAS, what type or types are they? Please list manufacturer

and/or model if possible.

4. What types of features does your UAS have?

5. Please select how your organization is currently using your UAS.

6. How many trained UAS operators/pilots does your organization have?

7. Does your department have liability or equipment replacement insurance for your

UAS program?

8. What are some advantages or successes you’ve seen with using your UAS? Please

list.

9. What are some disadvantages or problems you’ve seen with using your UAS? Please

list.

10. Has your organization experienced any legal or political challenges with the use of

your UAS? If so, please explain.

The answers to these questions provided excellent insight into how other fire departments

are currently utilizing UAS. It also provided good information regarding different advantages,

disadvantages, and legal/political issues that may be faced.

Validity and reliability are important to address for any survey utilized in formal

research. To examine the validity of this survey, the researcher relied heavily on one of the

current UAS certified pilots at the fire district to beta test and review the survey. It was

necessary to ensure that it would gather the information the survey was investigating. The UAS

pilot’s input was beneficial in making a few subtle changes to the survey questions. Reliability

of this survey was more difficult to address since the respondents were basically answering

questions about their own departments UAS programs. The researcher didn’t feel it would be


beneficial to use a test and retest method to find reliable data when conducting surveys with

outside departments.

There are also limitations to be aware of with this survey. One major limitation to this

survey was the number of participants versus respondents. The survey was sent out to 82 fire

departments across Oregon and gathered data from 23 fire departments for a 28% return rate.

While 28% isn’t necessarily a bad return rate for formal research survey, it isn’t very good to

justify completely reliable data. The remaining 8 respondents to the survey were from the

Facebook post and that clearly doesn’t justify completely reliable data, but it did provide some

insight to a few other departments across the country. Another limitation is how the survey

questions are interpreted by each individual respondent. As is the case with most surveys, how

each question is asked or worded may influence how the respondent answers the question. One

final limitation to note is who the respondents were in the organization who answered the

questions and did they have the full knowledge of their UAS program to provide the best data.

It’s also important to note that the survey asked many questions related to UAS in the

respondents’ own organizations, but 64.52% of respondents didn’t yet have a UAS so they

couldn’t answer all the questions.

Besides the survey, the researcher also conducted five interviews regarding UAS

programs. The first interview was with DCFD2 Lieutenant John Markovich who is one of the

only two UAS certified pilots at DCFD2. John is also a licensed general aviation pilot and is

therefore very familiar with the FAA. Gathering some background information and his thoughts

on the UAS program and how it can be implemented was beneficial. The following questions

were asked of John Markovich:


1. Tell me about the FAA test and how easy or difficult it is to obtain your UAS pilot

certification.

2. What are the legal issues involved with operating a UAS for DCFD2?

3. What advantages or disadvantages do you see with using UAS?

4. How do you envision the future of UAS operations in the fire service?

5. What concerns do you have with implementing a UAS program here at DCFD2?

6. Who are the main manufacturers of UAS and what are some of the technologies being

used on them?

The second interview was with DCFD2 Fire Chief Rob Bullock, to gather his thoughts on

the UAS program and how it could better enhance the operations and meet the needs of the

community and DCFD2. The following questions were asked of Chief Bullock:

1. What concerns do you have with implementing a UAS program at DCFD2?

2. What are some advantages or disadvantages you see with using UAS?

3. How do you see UAS being utilized in Douglas County?

4. What are some legal or political issues you see with a UAS program?

The third interview was with Deputy Chief Chris Heppel of the Eugene Springfield Fire

Department. The city of Eugene is about 60 miles north of DCFD2 and is the second largest city

in the state of Oregon. They have had a UAS program for a few years and it was very helpful to

discuss their experiences and challenges with operating UAS within their organization. The

following questions were asked of Chief Heppel:

1. How many UAS does the city of Eugene have?

2. How has the Eugene Springfield Fire Department used UAS in operations?

3. Have you had any challenges with using your UAS?


4. What political or legal issues have you faced?

5. What standard operating guidelines or procedures do you have?

The fourth interview was with Staff Forester Jeff Turchetto of the Douglas Forest

Protective Association (DFPA) in Roseburg Oregon. Jeff has been working in wildland

firefighting for many years and spends a large part of the fire seasons traveling with overhead

teams working on fires. It was important to talk to someone who works more in wildland

firefighting to gather thoughts on the use of UAS. This was especially important due to how

much DCFD2 and DFPA work together every summer. The following questions were asked of

Jeff Turchetto:

1. Does DFPA currently have any UAS?

2. How are UAS being utilized in the wildland environment?

3. What are some advantages or disadvantages with using UAS in wildland?

4. How do you see UAS being used in the future for wildland operations?

The fifth and final interview was conducted with Wayne Stinson who works for the

Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and is the Emergency Manager for Douglas County Oregon.

Wayne also oversees the county search and rescue team so it was interesting to gain his

perspective of UAS since he can view it from a rescue standpoint but also from a law

enforcement standpoint. The following questions were asked of Wayne Stinson:

1. Does the county have any UAS at this time?

2. What concerns do you see with utilizing UAS in the county?

3. What political or legal issues do you see with using UAS?

4. Since the county is looking at purchasing a UAS what type or brand are you looking

at?


Results

The survey conducted was titled, “Utilization of Unmanned Aerial Systems in Fire

Service” (See Appendix A) to gather information from other fire departments on how they are

utilizing UAS in their organizations and what their experiences have been. The survey was

emailed out to 82 fire departments across Oregon and also posted to an EFO student Facebook

page. The survey received a 28% response (23 respondents) from the Oregon fire departments

and also received 8 responses from the group Facebook page for a total of 31 respondent’s

responses.

The first question asked the respondents about the size of their organization. There were

five choices; 0-50 personnel, 51-100 personnel, 101-200 personnel, 201-500 personnel, and 501+

personnel. Of the 31 respondents; 48.39% (15 respondents) selected 0-50 personnel, 38.71% (12

respondents) selected 51-100 personnel, 9.68% (3 respondents) selected 101-200 personnel, 0%

(0 respondents) selected 201-500 personnel, and 3.23% (1 respondent) selected 501+ personnel.

The second question asked the respondents if their organization owned an Unmanned

Aerial System. There were three choices; yes, no, and other (please specify). Of the 31

respondents; 29.03% (9 respondents) selected yes, 64.52% (20 respondents) selected no, and

6.45% (2 respondents) selected other. The comments left by the 2 respondents that selected

other can be seen in Appendix A.

The third question asked the respondents to list what types of UAS their organization

owns and to list the manufacturer and/or model if possible. Of the 31 respondents; 25.8% (8

respondents) listed information on their department’s owned UAS, 6.5% (2 respondents) stated

they weren’t sure the manufacturer or model, and 67.74% (21 respondents) answered N/A. The

information provided can be seen in Appendix A.


The fourth question asked the respondents what types of features their UAS have on

them. There were seven choices; thermal imaging, HD camera, HD video, infra-red imaging, 3D

mapping, and tethering system. There were 19 respondents that skipped this question, most

likely due to not having any UAS in their organization. Of the remaining 12 respondents;

33.33% (4 respondents) selected thermal imaging, 91.67% (11 respondents) selected HD camera,

91.67% (11 respondents) selected HD video, 25% (3 respondents) selected infra-red imaging,

16.67% (2 respondents) selected 3D mapping, and 16.67% (2 respondents) selected tethering

system.

The fifth question asked the respondents to select how their organization is currently

using their UAS. There were nine choices; structure fire recon (ICS), wildland fire recon (ICS),

water rescue incidents, rope rescue incidents, large area search/rescue, hazardous materials

incidents, damage assessments, training, and other (please specify). There were 10 respondents

that skipped this question. Of the remaining 21 respondents; 19.05% (4 respondents) selected

structure fire recon (ICS), 28.57% (6 respondents) selected wildland fire recon (ICS), 19.05% (4

respondents) selected water rescue incidents, 9.52% (2 respondents) selected rope rescue

incidents, 14.29% (3 respondents) selected large area search/rescue, 14.29% (3 respondents)

selected hazardous materials incidents, 23.81% (5 respondents) selected damage assessments,

42.86% (9 respondents) selected training, and 71.43% (15 respondents) selected other (please

specify). The comments left by the respondents that selected other can be seen in Appendix A.

The sixth question asked the respondents how many trained UAS operators/pilots their

organization has. There were five choices; 1-2, 3-5, 6-10, 11-15, and 16+. There were 17

respondents that skipped this question. Of the remaining 14 respondents; 78.57% (11


respondents) selected 1-2, 14.29% (2 respondents) selected 3-5, 0% (0 respondents) selected 6-

10, 7.14% (1 respondent) selected 11-15, and 0% (0 respondents) selected 16+.

The seventh question asked the respondents if their departments had liability or

equipment replacement insurance for their UAS programs. There were three choices; yes, no,

and other (please specify). There were 15 respondents that skipped this question. Of the

remaining 16 respondents; 43.75% (7 respondents) selected yes, 43.75% (7 respondents) selected

no, and 12.5% (2 respondents) selected other (please specify). The comments left by the

respondents that selected other can be seen in Appendix A.

The eighth question asked the respondents to list what advantages or successes they have

seen while using their UAS. There were 17 respondents that skipped this question. Of the

remaining 14 respondents; 64.28% (9 respondents) listed some advantages and successes,

35.72% (5 respondents) answered N/A. The information provided can be seen in Appendix A.

The ninth question asked the respondents to list some disadvantages or problems they

have seen while using their UAS. There were 17 respondents that skipped this question. Of the

remaining 14 respondents; 64.28% (9 respondents) listed some disadvantages or problems,

35.72% (5 respondents) answered N/A. The information provided can be seen in Appendix A.

The tenth and final question asked the respondents if their organizations had experienced

any legal or political challenges with the use of their UAS. There were two choices; yes (if yes

please explain) and no. There were 16 respondents that skipped the question. Of the remaining

15 respondents; 6.67% (1 respondent) selected yes, 93.33% (14 respondents) selected no.

Comments left by the one respondent that selected yes can be seen in Appendix A. The

information gathered from this survey was beneficial to the researcher in gathering information

about how UAS are currently being utilized and some of the advantages and challenges of them.


The first interview was conducted with DCFD2 Lieutenant (Lt.) John Markovich who is

one of the only two licensed UAS pilots at DCFD2. It was very helpful to hear Lt. Markovich’s

thoughts on UAS and how the fire district could implement a program (See Appendix B).

The first question with Lt. Markovich was regarding the training involved with becoming

a certified UAS pilot and how easy or difficult it was. He stated the test wasn’t that difficult for

him but he followed that statement up with the fact that he has been a general aviation pilot for

several years so a portion of the test he already knew. His opinion was that a person would

really need to pay attention in the UAS pilot class if they wanted to do very well and be prepared

for the FAA test. He did feel that if someone really applied themselves and studied that they

would pass the test (John Markovich, personal communication, September 24, 2018).

The second question asked Lt. Markovich’s opinion on the legal issues involved with

operating a UAS program. He stated that many of the current laws regarding UAS are confusing

right now because certain states have enacted laws that contradict the FAA laws. For example,

the FAA wants UAS operators to stay below 400 feet while Oregon law wants you to stay 400

feet above someone’s property. He stated that is going to cause a considerable amount of

confusion. He also stated the biggest issue continues to be privacy issues. Many people are

concerned that their privacy may be violated by UAS. His belief was that a lot of this concern

could be mitigated with open communication and transparency with the public (John Markovich,

personal communication, September 24, 2018).

The third question asked of Lt. Markovich was what he felt were some of the advantages

or disadvantages of using UAS. He felt that there are many advantages to the use of UAS in the

fire service. He stated the biggest one is crew safety and being able to recon an area from the

sky to get a larger picture to help drive strategy and tactics. This could be on a number of


different types of incidents such as structure fires, wildland fires, car accidents over the bank,

rescues, or hazmat situations. As far as disadvantages he stated that clearly, the cost of the

program could be especially difficult with the hard financial times that many organizations are

going through. Another disadvantage he brought out was the fact that in Oregon weather is

going to cause problems much of the year with the amount of rain we receive. He also felt like

there are liability issues that could cause concern if anyone was injured or anything was

damaged. He also stated that the fire district would have to commit to the ongoing cost of

keeping their pilots certified (John Markovich, personal communication, September 24, 2018).

The fourth question asked of Lt. Markovich was how he envisioned UAS being used in

the future for the fire service. He stated that the use of UAS is going to increase as the

technology becomes more advanced. He stated that eventually there will be an affordable UAS

that can operate in any kind of weather which will increase their overall use. He said he could

see UAS being used in almost any type of incident that first responders could face. He said he

had heard of some places doing studies on using an UAS to drop off an AED for a cardiac arrest

patient. He also heard that some places have used GPS and launched their UAS automatically at

dispatch time to hover over the scene and gather intel for the incident commander before anyone

is even on the scene yet (John Markovich, personal communication, September 24, 2018).

The fifth question asked of Lt. Markovich was what concerns he had with implementing

a UAS program here at DCFD2. He stated one of the biggest concerns he has is who is going to

operate or pilot the UAS. He said that DCFD2 already has very limited staffing so he doesn’t

see how the fire district could remove an operational firefighter and dedicate them to just

operating a UAS. He said the fire district is going to have to find a way to address this issue. He


also stated that the fire district must stay current will all the changing FAA and state of Oregon

laws regarding the use of UAS (John Markovich, personal communication, September 24, 2018).

The sixth question asked of Lt. Markovich was who the main manufacturers of UAS are

and what different technologies are being used on them. He said that the main manufacturers are

DJI, Parrot, and Yuneec, with DJI leading the market in reviews and popularity. He felt that DJI

really had the best products available. He did state that there are other companies that make

more advanced UAS for the military and that some of them are starting to develop UAS aimed at

first responders. Concerning technology, he said the best items they have that can be put on

UAS are HD cameras and HD video recording. He also said you can equip UAS with thermal

imaging which would be especially beneficial in the fire service for fires or large area searches

(John Markovich, personal communication, September 24, 2018).

The second interview was with DCFD2 Fire Chief Rob Bullock. It was important to

gather the thoughts and/or concerns of the DCFD2 Fire Chief on the implementation of a UAS

program for the fire district. It was also beneficial to see how he could see them being used for

DCFD2.

The first question asked of Chief Bullock was what concerns he had with starting a UAS

program for DCFD2. He stated he had a few concerns, with liability and legal issues being the

main ones. He stated that it seems like the laws are always changing and it would be important

to stay ahead of those. He stated another concern is removing an operational employee out of

operations and putting them in to operate a UAS is a problem for a fire district like DCFD2 that

has such limited staffing. He also said he would want to make sure there was no misuse of the

UAS by any employees (Rob Bullock, personal communication, September 27, 2018).


The second question asked of Chief Bullock was what advantages or disadvantages did

he see with using an UAS. He said he could see several advantages. He said it would speed up

locating victims in rescue situations for our countywide technical rescue team. He also stated

that in the future you might be able to use a UAS for such things as dropping off a life jacket to

someone stuck on a rock in the river. He said a UAS would allow great observations for large

building fires or large wildland fires and could potentially increase firefighter safety. He felt that

some of the disadvantages would be once again limited manpower available to operate the UAS.

He also knows that batteries and flight times can be a challenge (Rob Bullock, personal

communication, September 27, 2018).

The third question asked of Chief Bullock was how he could see a UAS being utilized in

Douglas County. He said he could see it used with our technical rescue team on water or rope

rescue incidents. He can remember several incidents over the years where it would have been

beneficial to use a UAS to try to help locate a victim or victims. He also said he could see a

cooperative arrangement with our wildland firefighter partners or the county sheriff’s office to

use our UAS (Rob Bullock, personal communication, September 27, 2018).

The fourth question asked of Chief Bullock was what he could see as some legal or

political challenges with having a UAS program. He stated one concern he has is the storage of

all the data such as videos or pictures and where the organization is going to store it all. He also

stated the concern of privacy issues in such a conservative part of Oregon that DCFD2 covers.

He felt like some citizens may have issues with the use of UAS over their property (Rob Bullock,

personal communication, September 27, 2018).

The third interview was with Deputy Chief of Strategic Services Chris Heppel of the

Eugene Springfield Fire Department. Eugene Springfield Fire is located about an hour north of


DCFD2 and covers the second biggest city in the state of Oregon. They have been operating a

UAS program for a few years and it was felt that they could provide some good insight into the

implementation of a UAS program.

The first question asked of Chief Heppel was how many UAS their department has. He

stated that they have four UAS that are solely dedicated to the fire department. He also stated

there were other city departments that had some UAS (Chris Heppel, personal communication,

October 25, 2018).

The second question asked of Chief Heppel was how they have used their UAS. He

stated that they have used them the past few years on some water rescues. He also remembered

one hazardous materials incident involving a tanker that rolled on a rural highway and using the

UAS to gather intel on what the tanker might be carrying. He also stated they have used them

for training purposes on the training grounds (Chris Heppel, personal communication, October

25, 2018).

The third question asked of Chief Heppel was what challenges they have faced with using

their UAS. He said the biggest issue even for their large department is finding people to operate

the UAS because it removes those people from operations for other things. He felt this would be

a very big challenge for a department like DCFD2 that has limited staffing (Chris Heppel,

personal communication, October 25, 2018).

The fourth question asked of Chief Heppel was what political or legal issues have they

been faced with over the past few years of using their UAS. He stated that privacy issues are the

biggest concerns they have seen. The general public is anxious about the possible invasion of

privacy with the use of UAS. He felt it was important to be open and engaged with the


community regarding the operations of UAS in fire service (Chris Heppel, personal

communication, October 25, 2018).

The fifth question asked of Chief Heppel was what kind of standard operating guidelines

or procedures they had for their UAS program. He stated that the city of Eugene actually has

what they call a Drone Advisory Committee which is made up of representatives from several

different city departments such as police, fire, public works, planning, and emergency

management. He said they oversee and make recommendations for the program. He said they

have an administrative policy manual and also a flight operation manual that they use (Chris

Heppel, personal communication, October 25, 2018).

The fourth interview was with Staff Forester Jeff Turchetto of the Douglas Forest

Protective Association (DFPA) in Roseburg Oregon. DFPA covers all of Douglas County and is

responsible for wildland fire management. Jeff Turchetto also serves on overhead management

teams and travels all over the country for large fires. The researcher wanted to gather some

information on the use of UAS in the wildland firefighting community.

The first question asked of Jeff was if DFPA currently has any UAS they are utilizing.

He stated that they do not but they plan to get one in the near future. He says he has observed

how UAS can be very beneficial to their operations (Jeff Tuchetto, personal communication,

October 29, 2018).

The second question asked of Jeff was how he has observed UAS being utilized in the

wildland firefighting community. He stated he has seen them used on several different incidents

and that the forest service seems to have quite advanced UAS they are using. He said he had

seen them used to gather intel for the incident command teams on the size of the fire and the

direction the fire is traveling. He also said he had seen them used to drop little “fire starters” to


start backfire operations in very difficult terrain (Jeff Tuchetto, personal communication,

October 29, 2018).

The third question asked of Jeff was what are some advantages or disadvantages he could

see when using UAS in wildland firefighting. He said that just being able to see how large the

fire is and where it is traveling is great information that could truly lead to firefighter safety. He

also said that if the UAS had thermal imaging capabilities that it would assist the incident

command teams by being able to see through thick smoke. The big disadvantage he saw is

clearly the use of UAS around aerial water or retardant operations. This usually occurs with

privately owned UAS that someone from the public is operating. He says he has seen aerial

operations shut down due to privately owned UAS being near wildland fires (Jeff Tuchetto,

personal communication, October 29, 2018).

The fourth question asked of Jeff was how he could see UAS being used in the future for

wildland operations. He wasn’t really sure but stated he believes they will definitely be used

more and more as the technology improves. He also stated that he didn’t know DCFD2 had a

UAS and wondered if there could be a partnership between both agencies to utilize it or develop

a UAS team of some kind (Jeff Tuchetto, personal communication, October 29, 2018).

The fifth interview was with Wayne Stinson who works for the Douglas County Sheriff’s

Office and is the Emergency Manager for Douglas County. He also oversees all search and

rescue operations for the county so it was important to gather some input from Wayne on his

thoughts on using UAS in Douglas County and how they could be used in his area of

responsibility.

The first question asked of Wayne was if Douglas County currently has any UAS that

they use. Wayne stated they did not yet but plan to buy one in the future. He says he can see


how beneficial they can be in the county for search and rescue operations or other incidents

where they need a bird’s eye view (Wayne Stinson, personal communication, November 10,

2018).

The second question asked of Wayne was what concerns he could see with utilizing UAS

in the county. He said that as a law enforcement agency there is definitely more scrutiny for

using them and the public is very cautious of their use due to privacy concerns. He stated that is

much easier for search and rescue operations but if they are going to use them as law

enforcement there will potentially be much more push back or negativity from the public (Wayne

Stinson, personal communication, November 10, 2018).

The third question asked of Wayne was regarding political or legal issues involved with

using UAS. He answered a lot of this question in the second question listed above. He felt

strongly that there would need to be public education on the use of UAS to help alleviate some of

the concerns the public may have (Wayne Stinson, personal communication, November 10,

2018).

The fourth question asked of Wayne was that since the county is looking at purchasing a

UAS what type or brand were they considering? He stated that they have the money to purchase

one and they were going to get the DJI Phantom Pro 4 but they put it on hold because they heard

DJI was going to come out with Phantom Pro 5 in the near future. Their plan is to purchase one

as soon as the Pro 5 is released (Wayne Stinson, personal communication, November 10, 2018).

Discussion

The literature review and the results of the survey and various interviews provided

beneficial information regarding the utilization of UAS in the fire service. It also provided some


vital areas and issues to deal with when putting together a standard operating procedure and

trying to implement a UAS program at DCFD2.

The first things reviewed in the literature review were the training requirements for

operating a UAS and some of the different laws affecting the use of UAS. The training

requirements are pretty straightforward and the FAA is very clear on their expectations. The

literature review basically found that organizations have two options when operating a UAS.

They can either operative under CRF Part 107 or obtain a COA from the FAA (Dukowitz, 2018).

Both of these seem to have some good advantages and disadvantages.

CRF Part 107 has very clear requirements for obtaining your UAS pilot certificate and

requires a written test that covers many aspects of UAS operations (FAA, 2018). According to

current DCFD2 UAS pilot Lt. Markovich this test seemed to be a good general knowledge test

that all UAS pilots should take (John Markovich, personal communication, September 24, 2018).

CRF Part 107 also provides strict rules on the operation of a UAS. The downside of

operating under strictly CRF Part 107 is how inflexible it is. The FAA is very clear on rules

regarding the use of UAS and if operating under CRF Part 107 they must absolutely be followed.

Some of the rules while operating under CRF 107 are no flying at night, no flying beyond visual

line of sight, no flying over people, no flying above 400 feet, and no flying in controlled airspace

(FAA, 2018). These seem to be somewhat restrictive for public safety operations and may not be

best suited for fire service organizations dealing with emergency situations.

On the other hand, an organization can apply for a COA and operate their UAS program

under a formal COA from the FAA. This does have some advantages. First of all, the

organization can develop their own training program to certify their pilots so they don’t have to

go through the formal testing with the FAA. However, they will still have to show the FAA they


have a good training program or process to certify them (Dukowitz, 2018). The other advantage

it allows is that an organization doesn’t have to necessarily follow all the strict rules listed under

CRF Part 107. This allows much more flexibility for a fire service UAS program. However, it’s

important to note that obtaining a COA is not necessarily an easy process and is going to take

some significant work.

Many organizations have found that it’s best to obtain both a COA and also use CRF Part

107 to certify their pilots. One article noted how a police department is using both and they feel

this really adds a level of professionalism and credibility to their program by requiring their

pilots to go through the formal training and testing required by the FAA (Dukowitz, 2018). This

certainly seems very logical and does have some advantages. Not only can you show the public

that you have good FAA approved training but you also have more flexibility of when and where

you can operate your UAS.

In reviewing the literature and the results of the survey and various interviews it’s very

clear that there are legal concerns and political issues to address for a UAS program. When it

comes to legal concerns, it’s important to note how there are so many different laws regarding

using UAS and they seem to be changing all the time. There are federal laws, state laws, and

even some local laws. One issue clearly seen is how some of the laws contradict each other. Lt.

John Markovich stated a good example of this in his interview where the FAA requires UAS to

stay under 400 feet but Oregon law requires UAS to stay 400 feet above someone’s property

(John Markovich, personal communication, September 24, 2018). DCFD2 Chief Rob Bullock

also stated in his interview that one of his biggest concerns is how the laws are always changing

in regards to UAS and how that may create some liability issues if the organization doesn’t stay


informed on current laws (Rob Bullock, personal communication, October 30, 2018). This is

clearly a problem with no easy answer.

When considering the political issues or concerns, one of the biggest issues is privacy.

Many articles of literature and many of the interviewees stated similar things regarding how the

general public is concerned with privacy issues in regards to a government agency using UAS.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security released a document that addresses this issue titled,

“Best Practices for Protecting Privacy, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties in Unmanned Aircraft

Systems.” This article listed the development of strong public support as one of the most

important aspects of a UAS program. One suggestion to accomplish this is to be transparent and

open with the public about your policies and procedures and how you are going to be using your

UAS (U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 2015).

Chief Heppel of Eugene Springfield Fire also echoed similar statements in regards to

their active UAS program. He said it was critical to engage the public and be very open about

your operations and how you are going to be utilizing your UAS (Chris Heppel, personal

communication, October 25, 2018). The IAFC also had an article stating that community

engagement is critical to a successful UAS program (IAFC, 2018).

Clearly, from reading different literature and reviewing the interviews it’s very critical to

make sure the public is involved with your UAS program and knows the details of how you plan

to use them. Being very transparent with your UAS program should help alleviate some the

privacy concerns that the public may have.

There were several important points identified when it came to considering the

advantages or disadvantages of utilizing a UAS in fire service operations. One advantage

perfectly stated was how a UAS can fill in the gaps by capturing snapshots or video in real-time


(Clark, 2018). Being able to see a live aerial view of an incident can be extremely beneficial in

many ways. Chief Rob Bullock and Lt. John Markovich both stated that they believe that when

it comes to fire ground operations the use of UAS can lead to increased firefighter safety by

incident command receiving live information on the incident. (John Markovich, personal

communication, September 24, 2018) (Rob Bullock, personal communication, October 30,

2018).

Another advantage to utilizing a UAS is how it can cover a large area quickly. This

easily observed in search and rescue incidents. This is one reason that Douglas County is

considering purchasing a UAS to utilize for their countywide search and rescue team (Wayne

Stinson, personal communication, November 9, 2018). The results of the survey also listed

additional advantages that people in fire service could see with using UAS for their departments

such as recording training, doing damage assessments, and just having better situational

awareness (See Appendix A- Question 8). It’s definitely easy to see how a UAS can provide

some good advantages to the fire service and other emergency services.

There were some common disadvantages listed in the literature, survey, and interviews.

Clearly, one disadvantage is the cost involved with setting up and operating a UAS program.

Many organizations are going to have to do a cost-benefit analysis to see if starting a program is

the right decision in tough economic times.

One of the biggest disadvantages found in the fire service is designating people who will

be operating the UAS. There was a good article in Fire Rescue Magazine that discussed the

impact that operating a UAS program will have on staffing in many departments and how it is

something that an organization is going to have to think about and consider (Whittaker, 2018).

In my interviews with both DCFD2 Chief Bullock and Eugene Springfield Deputy Chief Heppel,


they both basically stated the same thing. They said it’s hard to justify removing an operational

firefighter from operations so they can solely pilot a UAS (Rob Bullock, personal

communication, October 30, 2018) (Chris Heppel, personal communication, October 25, 2018).

This will definitely be an issue for DCFD2 to consider when putting together their UAS

program.

Another disadvantage identified was how the weather can impact the use of a UAS. This

was a critical factor found by Gary Lorenz in his EFO paper for the Fargo Fire Department in

North Dakota. He found that their extreme weather will have a huge impact on their ability to

utilize a UAS at times (Lorenz, 2017). Most UAS are not yet designed to operate in rain, snow,

or high winds. This is a huge factor for an organization to consider depending on the

organization’s normal weather patterns.

A few additional disadvantages listed were the various government rules or laws, lack of

trained pilots, battery life causing short flight times, initial startup costs, and the ongoing cost of

keeping pilots certified (See Appendix A- Question 9). While there were disadvantages found,

the belief of many in the fire service is that the advantages will far outweigh the disadvantages.

The information gathered from numerous recent articles on how organizations are

currently utilizing UAS provides very helpful information to those of us starting a new UAS

program at DCFD2. The IAFC listed six main areas in one article on how fire departments could

use a UAS to enhance their operations. The six they listed were structural firefighting, wildland

firefighting, rescue operations, emergency medical services, hazardous materials, and disaster

response (IAFC, 2018). However, these are all incidents where many organizations will struggle

with having to remove an operational firefighter to solely operate a UAS. Organizations are

going to have to find innovative ways to identify persons who could be their UAS pilots.


The survey also provided several examples of different ways organizations are utilizing

their UAS. Some of the things listed in the survey were structure fire recon, wildland fire recon,

water rescues, rope rescues, hazardous materials, search and rescue, damage assessments,

training, fire investigation, public education events, post-incident critiques, and public

information work (See Appendix A- Question 5). These are all great examples of the

possibilities for enhancing current operations with the use of UAS.

It’s also important to note that the future of UAS may provide much more than just aerial

recon type work. For example, some places are using or testing different UAS for delivery of

supplies or emergency equipment such as an AED (Claesson et al., 2016). Chief Bullock

mentioned something similar in his interview and how in the future a UAS may be used to drop

off life jackets to victims stuck on a rock in the river (Rob Bullock, personal communication,

October 30, 2018). This is certainly something that could be used at DCFD2 since the fire

district has such a large number of water rescue incidents. The number of uses for UAS in the

fire service or emergency services is going to increase over time as the technology improves and

more departments begin utilizing a UAS.

There are many choices when investigating the different types of UAS available for the

fire service to purchase. DJI definitely controls the majority of the market but there are other

companies to consider (Valentak, 2017). Two other common brands in use are Parrot and

Yuneec. Several articles discussed how the most important factor to consider was how the

organization was going to use their UAS. In an interview with Fire Chief Magazine Chief Otto

Drozd III he stated that a department really needs to do a thorough needs assessment before

deciding what UAS to purchase. This should ensure that they purchase the UAS that will best

meet their needs and objectives (Hatt, 2018). DCFD2 has already received its UAS so it’s not a


matter of trying to decide which one to purchase but there should be a needs assessment to

determine which accessories the fire district may want to purchase for its UAS.

There are several different types of accessories or options that organizations can consider

for their UAS. In an interview with Lt. Markovich he listed several characteristics that an

organization should consider when looking at a UAS. He said options that would appeal to the

fire service would be quick deployment, extended runtime, range, ability to work in

weather/wind, flight stability, ease of operation, GPS capabilities, and cameras (John Markovich,

personal communication, September 24, 2018). The survey conducted also listed some of the

different options on UAS. They were HD cameras, HD videos, thermal imaging, infra-red

imaging, 3D mapping, and a tethering system for continuous power supply (See Appendix A-

Question 4). Once again, doing a quality needs assessment will help determine what features or

accessories may best enhance your organization’s UAS.

It is critical to address the implications of all the information gathered to ensure a

successful UAS program at DCFD2. While DCFD2 is very new to having a UAS, it has become

clear that this is not a task to be taken lightly. There are numerous laws to consider in regards to

training requirements and the operations of a UAS. There also seem to be new federal, state, or

local laws being continuously enacted that DCFD2 must stay up to date on.

The impact of having a UAS program at DCFD2 could be huge. There is definitely a

benefit to having a UAS available to be used in operations for DCFD2 and the significant

amount of information it could provide. One of the biggest areas of use currently would

probably be with our technical rescue team and using a UAS to help locate victims in need of

rescue. There are many challenges to be addressed with this program. For example, several

articles and different fire service professionals talked about identifying a person to be the UAS


pilot on emergency incidents. With the limited staffing at DCFD2, it doesn’t seem very realistic

to remove a firefighter from operations and have them operate a UAS. Ways to address this

problem must be considered.

Recommendations

This research provided very productive information for developing a UAS standard

operating procedure for DCFD2. While the task of a having a successful UAS program is

certainly a challenge, DCFD2 was provided a free UAS and it’s important to define how it can

best be used to enhance the overall operations of the fire district. The following

recommendations are presented for moving forward with our UAS program at DCFD2.

Recommendation #1

The first recommendation is to form a UAS committee of several DCFD2 individuals to

oversee the entire program and make future recommendations. This committee would be

directly involved with all the listed recommendations. This committee would be tasked with

several key things such as:

• Keeping up to date on all the new or changing laws in regard to the use of UAS.

• Make decision on possibly obtaining a COA for UAS operations to be used in

conjunction with FAA Part 107.

• Review the attached DCFD2 Draft UAS procedure to and make changes as

needed.

Recommendation #2

The second recommendation would be to develop a public relations strategy to let the

public know about the program and the different ways it may be utilized to better enhance public

safety. It was clear throughout the research that public support for a UAS program is one of the


most critical things to accomplish. The public is going to have a lot of questions regarding

privacy issues and/or other concerns and by addressing those issues up front it will help ease

some of the concerns.

Recommendation #3

The third recommendation would be to develop some strategies for who might be the

best individuals to be certified UAS pilots for DCFD2. Using firefighters as pilots doesn’t seem

to be the best use of staffing. Most departments just can’t justify or handle losing operational

staff to solely operate a UAS during active incidents. Some ideas would be to use volunteers or

community emergency response team (CERT) members to be pilots. Over the past few years,

DCFD2 has developed a large group of trained CERT members that may have some individuals

who might be interested in receiving the training needed to be a UAS pilot. Another idea is to

get the message out to the community that DCFD2 is looking for certified UAS pilots. There

may be current certified UAS pilots that would gladly volunteer their time to be a pilot for the

fire district.

Recommendation #4

The fourth recommendation would be to talk to other organizations in the area and see if

there were ways to develop some partnerships in this UAS program. For example, both Staff

Forester Jeff Turchetto of DFPA and Emergency Manager Wayne Stinson of Douglas County

were not aware that DCFD2 had a UAS and were very intrigued by it. They both mentioned the

idea of possibly developing a partnership of some kind to utilize each other’s UAS as needed in

the county.


As we begin to utilize the newer technology of UAS, there will be many adjustments to

be made in the way we proceed. We must be sure to consider all the options carefully and be

aware of the needs and concerns of the public as we do so.


References

Avsec, R. (2018, February 23). Drones in the fire service: expanding operational uses. Fire

Rescue 1. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/https://www.firerescue1.com/emergency-

response-in-the-drone-age/articles/376101018-Drones-in-the-fire-service-Expanding-

operational-uses/

Brill, R. (2018). Developing an unmanned aerial systems program for the Wilmette Fire

Department. Retrieved from https://usfa.kohalibrary.com/app/work/245476

Claesson, A., Fredman, D., Svensson, L., Ringh, M., Hollenberg, J., Nordberg, P., ... Ban, Y.

(2016). Unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) in out-of-hospital-cardiac-arrest. National

Center for Biotechnology Information, Retrieved from

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5059909/

Clark, M. (2018). How drones can aid fire service response. Fire Rescue 1. Retrieved from

https://www.firerescue1.com/emergency-response-in-the-drone-age/articles/377547018-

How-drones-can-aid-fire-service-response/

Current unmanned aircraft state law landscape. (2018). Retrieved from

http://www.ncsl.org/research/transportation/currrent-unmanned-aircraft-state-law-

landscape.aspx

Darling, D. (2018). As Oregon public safety agencies begin to use drones, questions arise.

Retrieved from www.govtech.com/public-safety/As-Oregon-Public-Safety-Agencies-

Begin-to-Use-Drones-Questions-Arise.html

Davies, N. (2017, January 24). Up in the air drone-assisted disaster response is taking off. Fire

Rescue, 12(1), 11-16.


DJI. (2018). Public safety- respond effectively with drone solutions. Retrieved from

https://enterprise.dji.com/civil-protection?site=brandsite&from=nav

Department of Homeland Security- United States Fire Administration (2018). In Executive

analysis of fire service operations in emergency management student syllabus.

Emmitsburg, MD: National Fire Academy.

Douglas County Fire District No. 2 (2018). About us. Retrieved from

http://www.dcfd.org/pages/about.html

Douglas County Fire District No. 2 (2018). Annual budget. Retrieved from

http://www.dcfd.org/docs/Public/FY_18_Budget.pdf

Drone Definition. (2017). 6 reasons drones are the future of firefighting. Retrieved from

https://www.dronedefinition.com/6-no-brainer-benefits-of-firefighting-drones/

Drone used to ignite burnout operations on Klondike Fire in Oregon. (2018). Retrieved from

https://fireaviation.com/2018/08/13/drone-used-to-ignite-burnout-operations-on-

klondike-fire-in-oregon/

Dukowitz, Z. (2018). Applying for a public COA vs. part 107 certification for police and fire

departments. Retrieved from https://www.dronepilotgroundschool.com/coa-part-107/

Federal Aviation Administration. (2018). Become a pilot. Retrieved from

https://www.faa.gov/uas/getting_started/part_107/remote_pilot_cert/

Federal Aviation Administration. (2018). Fly under the small UAS rule. Retrieved from

https://www.faa.gov/uas/getting_started/part_107/

Federal Aviation Administration. (2018). Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Frequently Asked

Questions. Retrieved from http://www.faa.gov/uas/faqs/


Hatt, K. (2018). Q & A: The future impact of drones on fire and emergency services. Retrieved

from https://www.firechief.com/2018/03/05/qa-the-future-impact-of-drones-on-fire-and-

emergency-services/

International Association of Fire Chiefs. (2018). IAFC position: use of unmanned aerial vehicles

in public safety emergency response. Retrieved from https://www.iafc.org/topics-and-

tools/resources/resource/iafc-position-use-of-unmanned-aerial-vehicles-in-public-safety-

emergency-response

International Association of Fire Chiefs. (2018). UAS technology & research. Retrieved from

https://www.iafc.org/topics-and-tools/resources/resource/uas-technology

International Association of Fire Chiefs. (2018). UAS regulatory/ops. Retrieved from

https://www.iafc.org/topics-and-tools/resources/resource/uas-regulatory-ops

International Association of Fire Chiefs. (2018). UAS tactics- operational abilities for unmanned

aerial systems. Retrieved from https://www.iafc.org/topics-and-

tools/resources/resource/uas-tactics

Know before you fly. (2018). Retrieved from https://knowbeforeyoufly.org/for-public-entities/

Kozubowski, J. (2018, September 18). Drone startup company makes award-winning UAS for

responders. Fire Rescue 1. http://dx.doi.org/https://www.firerescue1.com/fire-

products/drones/articles/391549018-Drone-startup-company-makes-award-winning-

UAS-for-responders/

Lorenz, G. J. (2017). Implementing an effective unmanned aerial system into the Fargo Fire

Department. Retrieved from https://nfa.usfa.fema.gov/pdf/efop/efo244553.pdf

Michel, A. H. (2017). Local and state drone laws. Retrieved from

http://dronecenter.bard.edu/files/2017/03/CSD-Local-and-State-Drone-Laws-1.pdf


Mills, S. (2018, March 4). The love-hate relationship between drones & wildland firefighters.

Fire House. http://dx.doi.org/https://www.firehouse.com/tech-

comm/drones/article/12396869/the-lovehate-relationship-between-drones-wildland-

firefighters

PowerDMS. (2017). Fire department drone policies. Retrieved from

https://www.powerdms.com/blog/fire-department-drone-policies/

U.S. Department of Homeland Security. (2015). Best practices for protecting privacy, civil rights

& civil liberties in unmanned aerial systems programs. Retrieved from

https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/UAS%20Best%20Practices.pdf

U.S. Fire Administration (2014-2018). America’s fire and emergency services- strategic plan.

Retrieved from https://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/publications/strategic_plan-

2014-2018.pdf

Valentak, Z. (2017). Drone market share analysis & predictions for 2018 - DJI dominates,

parrot, and yuneec slowly catching up. Retrieved from

http://www.dronesglobe.com/news/drone-market-share-analysis-predictions-2018/

Weidinger, J., Schlauderer, S., & Overhage, S. (2018). The good, the bad and the indispensable-

insights into the practical potential of emergency response information systems and

drones for firefighters. Retrieved from Scholar Space:

https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/10125/49896/paper0009.pdf

Wells, M. (2016). 7 ways drones could help first responders save more lives. Retrieved from

https://www.policeone.com/police-products/Police-Drones/articles/251901006-7-ways-

drones-could-help-first-responders-save-more-lives/


What’s the difference between UAV and UAS? (2018). Retrieved from

http://www.jurovichsurveying.com.au/faq/difference-uav-uas

Whittaker, S. (2018). New research shows benefits and drawbacks of drones in firefighting.

Retrieved from https://dronebelow.com/2018/01/17/new-research-shows-benefits-

drawbacks-drones-firefighting/


Appendix A

Utilization of Unmanned Aerial Systems in the Fire Service

Survey Monkey


Appendix B

Interview Guide

John Markovich, Lieutenant UAS Pilot Douglas County Fire District No. 2

Date: September 24, 2018 Time: 1300 Interviewee: John Markovich Interviewer: Scott Richardson

1. Tell me about the FAA test and how easy or difficult it is to obtain your UAS pilot certification.

2. What are the legal issues involved with operating a UAS for DCFD2?

3. What advantages or disadvantages do you see with using UAS?

4. How do you envision the future of UAS operations in the fire service?

5. What concerns do you have with implementing a UAS program here at DCFD2?

6. Who are the main manufacturers of UAS and what are some of the technologies being used on them?


Appendix C

Interview Guide

Rob Bullock, Fire Chief Douglas County Fire District No. 2

Date: September 27, 2018 Time: 0900 Interviewee: Rob Bullock Interviewer: Scott Richardson

1. What concerns do you have with implementing a UAS program at DCFD2?

2. What are some advantages or disadvantages you see with using UAS?

3. How do you see UAS being utilized in Douglas County?

4. What are some legal or political issues you see with a UAS program?


Appendix D

Interview Guide

Chris Heppel, Deputy Chief Strategic Services Eugene Springfield Fire Department

Date: October 25, 2018 Time: 0900 Interviewee: Chris Heppel Interviewer: Scott Richardson

1. How many UAs does the city of Eugene have?

2. How has the Eugene Springfield Fire Department used UAS in operations?

3. Have you had any challenges with using your UAS?

4. What political or legal issues have you faced?

5. What standard operating guidelines or procedures do you have?


Appendix E

Interview Guide

Jeff Turchetto, Staff Forester Douglas Forest Protective Association

Date: October 29, 2018 Time: 1530 Interviewee: Jeff Turchetto Interviewer: Scott Richardson

1. Does DFPA currently have any UAS?

2. How are UAS being utilized in the wildland environment?

3. What are some advantages or disadvantages with using UAS in wildland?

4. How do you see UAS being used in the future for wildland operations?


Appendix F

Interview Guide

Wayne Stinson, Emergency Manager Douglas County, Oregon

Date: November 10, 2018 Time: 0900 Interviewee: Wayne Stinson Interviewer: Scott Richardson

1. Does the county have any UAS at this time?

2. What concerns do you see with utilizing UAS in the county?

3. What political or legal issues do you see with using UAS?

4. Since the county is looking at purchasing a UAS what type or brand are you looking at?


Appendix G

Draft Procedure

SOG # 7.1 Effective Date: DRAFT

UNMANNED AERIAL SYSTEM (Drone)

DIVISION: FIRE OPERATIONS

Page 1 of 5

I. UAS (Drone) Program

A. Purpose is to ensure safe, legal, and responsible Drone operation by the District. B. This technology may be used to protect the lives and property of citizens and first responders, enhance situational awareness during emergency response, inspect facilities and assets, infrastructure, natural resources, and enhance services provided to the community.

II. Authority

A. The on duty B/C has the responsibility of administering this procedure and also has mission approval for a Drone operation. B. The certified remote Pilot in Command (PIC) is directly responsible for, and the final authority as to, the safe operation of the aircraft. Upon mission approval by the B/C, the PIC still retains the right not to fly per their training/certification.

III. Legal/Privacy A. The District shall adhere to all regulations established in FAA Part 107.

B. The District shall adhere to all FAA regulations and State of Oregon Law Chapter 72 “Use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems by Public Bodies” C. Pilot in Command (PIC)

1. PIC’s are required to operate within the scope of limitations of the FAA Part 107. 2. PIC’s are required to have current FAA Pilot Certification.


D. Flight Observer (FO)

1. There shall be a flight observer for any mission where the PIC doesn’t have direct line of sight of the UAS. If a FO is needed the PIC must have direct communication with them. The flight observer assists the PIC in identifying and avoiding other air traffic or objects aloft or on the ground.

E. UAS (Drone) 1. Drone shall be registered with the FAA. 2. Drone shall be registered with the Oregon Department of Aviation.

F. All electronic data, including photos, video, or other data is the property of Douglas County Fire District No. 2. Any data collected through the use of UAS will be stored in accordance with the Fire District policies. All data requests shall be reviewed and released under guidelines set forth in the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

G. The District respects the rights of privacy of the public and will consider public perception in all operations. In accordance with Oregon law, the District will make available to the public, all policies, and procedures guiding the operation or data capturing of the unmanned aircraft.

IV. Mission Requirements A. A flight plan shall be developed prior to each flight. Considerations shall include: 1. Mission objectives 2. Flight parameters 3. Airspace designation 4. Weather and terrain information 5. Mission approval from B/C and PIC 6. Any rights of privacy/notifications

B. All flights will use the attached flight checklists: 1. Flight preparation 2. Pre-launch 3. Power Start and Launch 4. Post Flight C. Under emergency conditions the regular pre-flight checks may be substituted for an immediate modified pre-flight check. However, the PIC remains responsible for flight safety and operations. D. No District UAS operations are authorized in the vicinity of any manned aircraft. Manned aircraft always have the right of way and must be avoided at all times.


E. In the event that air ambulance, wildland firefighting aircraft, or other rescue aircraft are activated for use on an incident, UAS flight operations in the area of the incident must be terminated immediately upon notification of their activation.


UAS Flight Checklist Location

Notes

PIC / Flight Crew

Date/Time Number of Flights / Total Flight Time Regularly Scheduled Pre-check

Section I (Flight Preparation) Complete Section I to begin preparation for flight. No. Item Desired Condition Y/N 1 Documentation/Authority Remote Pilot Certificate for PIC 2 Purpose Purpose of flight identified 3 Airspace Boundaries of airspace classification for flight operations identified 4 Authorization Authorization to operate in controlled airspace received (if required) 5 UAS Batteries UAS batteries charged 6 Remote Controller Batteries Remote controller batteries charged 7 Display Device Battery Display device charged 8 Memory Card SD card cleared and inserted 9 UAS Firmware Remote controller and UAS firmware updated to current version 10 Display Device/Control App Control app updated to current version 11 UAS Hull and Frame Integrity Housing, landing gear and sensors clear & undamaged 12 Flight Mode Switch Correct position Section II (Pre-Launch) Verify the following prior to starting UAS motors and powering on devices. No. Item Desired Condition Y/N 13 Mission Approval Appropriate approval received 14 TFRs and NOTAMs No restrictions issued for the area of operation 15 Weather/Visibility Weather & visibility predicted fair for operation. Visibility at least 3

miles.

16 Flight Crew Flight crew (visual observers and others) designated and briefed (if used)

17 Communications Voice communications operational (if required) 18 Launch/Landing Site Launch and landing area clearly identified 19 UAS Batteries Batteries inserted and within operational temperature 20 Motors Motors securely mounted to airframe, turn freely 21 Propellers Propellers undamaged and securely fastened to motors 22 Gimbal Guard Gimbal guard removed 23 Camera/Sensor Lens Sensor lens is clear 24 Remote Controller Antennas Antennas positioned correctly 25 Situational Awareness Operational area clear of aircraft, birds, people, towers, lines,

structures, trees, vehicles, metal objects and other potential hazards

26 Home Point Home point set and position verified 27 Camera/Sensor settings Exposure values and other settings verified


UAS Flight Checklist Continued Section III (Power Start and Launch) Verify the following prior to launch. Launch UAS when clear. No. Item Desired Condition Y/N 28 Display Device Display device cabled to controller, powered on. Brightness, volume

set

29 Remote Controller Remote controller powered on and connected to control app 30 Aircraft Status Verify flight mode, GPS connection, compass calibration, IMU

initialization and vision sensors in control app

31 Return to Home Height Return to home height set to clear obstacles 32 Home Point Home point set and position verified 33 Camera/Sensor Settings Exposure values and other settings verified Section IV (Post Flight) Verify the following at the conclusion of a flight. No. Item Desired Condition Y/N 34 Power Down UAS, then remote controller, followed by display device 35 Gimbal Guard Install gimbal guard on UAS sensor 36 Batteries Remove battery from UAS and store for transport 37 UAS Hull, Frame Integrity Housing, landing gear and sensors clear & undamaged 38 Propellers Remove propellers, inspect and store 39 Cables, Display Device, Remote

Controller Remove any cables and store display device and remote controller

40 Flight and Maintenance Log Complete entries in flight and maintenance log, noting items requiring replacement or repair

developing an unmanned aerial system standard operating

Documents