March 28, 2024

First Responders Demonstrate Drones

delivery drone

St. Mary’s County held its first drone presentation last month, focusing on how drones can help first responders accomplish their missions.

St Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office, Hollywood Volunteer Fire Department, and Leonardtown Volunteer Fire Department worked with locally based technology companies for St. Mary’s  public demonstrations of drone technology.

Aviation Systems Engineering Company (ASEC), in collaboration with Smartronix, teamed to achieve history by working with public safety officials, deploying electro-optic and thermal sensors onboard small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS, or drones). The demonstration provided personnel and resources for three scenarios that integrated drones into their incident response.

The newly opened Captain Walter Francis Duke Elementary School hosted  the drone presentations, technology booths, and streaming drone video for the more than 100 attendees. Two condemned residences on adjacent property supported the demonstrations, including the controlled burning one of the houses. This afforded first responders an opportunity to assess the technology in a safe, controlled, and compliant environment. Two quadcopter drones were flown simultaneously, one in direct support of the demonstration and the other as a broadcast drone, providing HD and infrared streaming video.

Smartronix provided integrated communication links, connecting St. Mary’s first responder radios with different radios used by neighboring Calvert County’s fire departments and tactical radios typically used by National Guard units.  Radio communications and narrator audio were integrated with streaming video from the drones and  made available on a dedicated web site, providing the public an opportunity to watch the demonstration anywhere they might have internet access.

The two ASEC crews piloted their FAA-approved drones as directed by the Incident Commander, who provided general verbal commands via a policeman or fireman.  The first demonstration was a barricaded residence that contained a possible armed suspect, requiring the police to set-up a safety perimeter. The drone camera was used to assess police positions and image house details that were streamed via video to the police mobile command center. ASEC drone team member Bryan Barthelme remarked, “This technology has potential to save lives by gathering critical information without putting police in harm’s way.”

The second demonstration was a rural search and rescue for a lost individual, utilizing a thermal sensor to scan for a human heat signature in various terrains and vegetation. The final demonstration also used a thermal sensor to provide live video of a burning single story house. St Mary’s County Fire Chief Dennis Brady commented, “This is definitely a tool we can use to help fight fires.” Mounting a thermal sensor, or even a HD camera can provide a new aerial perspective for fire fighters to assist in combating the fires.

St. Mary’s County government facilitated the event as they seek ways to foster new technology and economic growth.  Together with industry and first responder partners, St Mary’s successfully demonstrated commercially available drone technology and data communication links in a setting that was realistic, helping to advancing drone applications for public safety.

About Smartronix.  Smartronix, Inc. is a U.S. based, highly reputable information technology and engineering solutions provider specializing in Cloud Computing, Cyber Security, Health IT, Network Operations, and Mission-Focused Engineering. In today’s demanding and ever-changing technology and warfare landscapes, we continue to provide innovative and secure solutions through our in-depth experience in global and complex enterprise environments and our mission-critical engineering capabilities. Founded in 1995 and headquartered in Maryland, Smartronix has more than 10 operating offices with approximately 600 employees throughout the U.S. and at strategic locations worldwide. For more information visit www.smartronix.com or call (301) 373-6000.

About ASEC. Aviation Systems Engineering Company (ASEC), Inc. was granted an exemption to operate small unmanned aircraft systems, or more commonly known as drones, for commercial applications by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). ASEC’s flight department, with more than 11 years of professional aviation experience and credentials, includes a commercial unit to service drone operations and related activities. ASEC’s Flight Department is certified Safety Management System (SMS) Stage 2 compliant by the International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO). For more information visit www.asec.aero or call (904) 772-8442.

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