DFS procures its first drone with thermal cam to track people trapped in high-rises

This summer, before the number of fire incidents escalates, the Delhi Fire Service (DFS) has started training its men to handle its first drone to monitor fire better,

This summer, before the number of fire incidents escalates, the Delhi Fire Service (DFS) has started training its men to handle its first drone to monitor fire better, especially in the Capital’s high-rises.

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Senior officers said the drone has a thermal imaging camera to track people trapped inside a burning building and can help investigators generate a 3D image of the building to recreate the incident.

Between April 2019 and March 2020, as many as 282 people were killed in 27,859 incidents of fire reported in Delhi. In 2018-2019, 297 people lost their lives in 31,264 fire incidents.

Every year, the months of May, June and July see the maximum fire incidents across the city. Atul Garg, director, DFS, said that keeping in mind the challenges they had to face, especially while dealing with a fire in high-rise buildings, they purchased their first drone in March this year.

“We were operating with limited staff because of the lockdown; so we couldn’t train our men on how to use the drone effectively. We have now started the training and before the number of fire incidents increases this summer, like every year, we expect some of our men to be experts in handling the drone to support our firefighters,” he said.

The drone that the DFS has procured can fly as high as a 60-storey building and can cover an area as wide as four kilometres at one go. It will be very helpful in cases of fires breaking out in high-rises as it will give the firefighters an aerial view of the situation and they can identify its source to effectively contain the blaze, Garg said.

He added that the drone is fixed with a thermal imaging camera, which can scan a burning building and help the firefighters identify where people are trapped. “With this, even those who are unconscious due to smoke inhalation can be easily tracked and pulled out. We are sure it will increase our effectiveness in saving lives... if only we had this technology during the Anaj Mandi fire and Arpit Palace fire,” Garg said.

The director added that several times when lives are lost in fire incidents, Delhi Police is handed over the probe. “In most cases that require investigation, we need to recreate the scene and develop a three-dimensional image of the building. The drone will capture videos and images of a building from all sides and will help us prepare a 3D model, which will be effective during the police probe,” he said.

Garg said that for now, they have purchased only one drone but the DFS plans to buy more soon.