HELENA — Helena firefighters are getting familiar with newer technology to assist with emergencies that need a closer look than just boots on the ground. Training with drones now gives them an eye in the sky.
Watch how drones can protect our community:
“It's just one more piece of equipment that can help better protect our community,” said firefighter and drone pilot Austin Shupe.
The Helena Fire Department has been using a drone for about five years — helping operations during structure fires, wildland fires, hazmat incidents, and search and rescue calls across the area.
“It just gives us an eye above the incident, and just being able to give us an overall picture of what's actually happening to the scene,” said assistant chief Jason Wendzel.
Firefighters say the drone can be deployed in just a few minutes — giving crews a real-time look at a fire, crash scene, or remote terrain before firefighters even move in.
The drone is equipped with both video and thermal cameras, allowing the incident commander to identify hotspots or spot clues during search operations even from miles away.
“Your IC can see in real time something that maybe we didn’t see,” Shupe explained. “The more eyes, the better, for whatever that may be, whether it's a heat signature on the thermal camera, or if it's an individual, piece of clothing, something that can give us clues into what we're looking for.”
The department currently has six FAA-certified drone pilots, with two on each shift. Crews train multiple times a year to practice flying safely around trees, buildings, and power lines while maintaining constant visual contact with the drone.
“It's extremely important to stay competent in our abilities to operate this specifically safely, and stay up to date on the changing technology within the software on the drones themselves,” Shupe said.
Firefighters say the technology has already made a difference this year — including during a recent search and rescue operation at Lake Helena.
“It was a good opportunity to interact with other agencies and see where this plays in, because we hadn't done it before,” Shupe said. “It's shown that it is an asset for our department.”
Firefighters say the drone is already proving to be a valuable tool, and with crews continuing to train regularly, they say they’ll be ready when the next emergency call comes in.
