Springfield, MO Drones continue to plan an increasing ole in our every day lives. Now, it appears small, unmanned aircraft will play a part in emergency response in Springfield.
A local company, Westside Stone, has stepped forward with the offer to provide the Springfield Fire Department with a small, remote-controlled unmanned aircraft- often called drones.
“It is certainly a welcome addition to our fleet to address emergency incidents, said David Pennington, Fire Chief.
On Monday night, the city council discussed accepting the donation worth $1,200.
Westside’s donation stems to an incident on its property to year ago. In November 2015, a truck carrying explosives caught fire in the company’s underground mine west of the city.
“We didn’t have the ability to go into the men at that that point, other in person or by robot,” Pennington stated.
Scott Crabtree of Westside Stone stated, “We had the conversation at that time about how a drone would have been safer, and easier, and quicker to use.”
Following the incident and ensuing discussion, Westside Stone decided to donate the quad-copter. It will be used for emergencies involving the boom squad or natural disasters.
Crabtree said, “They thought there would be a lot of opportunity for something that would be quick, and would not put someone in harm’s way.
Pennington said, “It will certainly give the ability to get yes and ears where w can’r right now. We can fly the drone over emergency scenes if necessary.
The Springfield Police Department says it recently acquired a drone, and can use it to investigation. The Springfield-Greene County Office of Emergency Management said it doesn’t have one yet, but has been looking into the possibility of getting one in the future. [Click for More]