Edmonton Fire Rescue Services (EFRS) is releasing a series of videos highlighting the department’s drone program. EFRS says it started with a single drone and pilot in 2023 and has since expanded to provide all six districts with 24/7 drone capabilities. In its first explainer video, fire officials said drones are being used to monitor and view fires from areas firefighters normally can’t. “Especially with thermal imagery, they can see through smoke and they can see through steam to their teams and to the actual fire event in a way many of these career fire folks had never imagined,” said EFRS Drone Pilot Travis Kennedy in the video. It also said drones can help during water rescues with real-time aerial tracking, “significantly reducing response times when every second counts.” “The drone program has been an incredible new advancement within the fire service,” said Platoon Chief Scot Wallace in the explainer video. “It’s got all of us really excited.” One EFRS fire captain and drone pilot said the next up and coming use of its drones is to deploy them to fire calls ahead of crews. “So they’ll have 360 degree awareness around that building or the event prior to them actually arriving on scene,” said Alex Pheasey in the video. EFRS said it will be releasing four more videos on its drone program explaining their use in different settings including the Edmonton River Valley.
