First-of-its-kind Public Safety Drone To Jointly Fly Over SF Bay

MENLO PARK, CA – Conducting search and rescue operations in one of the busiest air corridors in the world over a massive waterway commands the use of all the tools of the trade.

That's why the Menlo Park Fire Protection District has teamed up with the U.S. Coast Guard to create a first-of-its-kind drone operation over San Francisco Bay. "Unmanned aerial systems," aka drones, have been added in the partnerships to complement commonly-used vehicles in the rescue fleet such as helicopters.

These will be called first responder drones — bringing the ability to hover over the water's surface with the ease, safety and maneuverability not found in other traditional aircraft or boats. Drones can hover and turn on a dime. So when a boater, paddle boarder, kayaker, swimmer is in distress, this low-to-the-surface aerial eye is expected to help immensely.

“We’ve established that our search and rescue drones working in conjunction with our water rescue craft, or rescue boats, don’t need to fly above 150 feet elevation, or height, for almost every SAR mission over land or sea," Menlo Park Fire Chief Harold Schapelhouman said.

The drone's flight height offers the best bird's-eye view, with pictures and video situated where the subject may be located when seconds count and minutes matter. Often times, minutes could mean the difference between "a successful live rescue or tragic recovery,” the chief reminded.

Menlo Park Fire is on top of its game when it comes to deploying resources that enhance its community's public safety and recovery operations. The agency flew a drone over the Camp Fire remains in Paradise to get a survey of the post-fire devastation in Butte County, the site of California's most destructive and deadliest wildfires in history.

The U.S. Coast Guard also has a long history of creating and utilizing the latest in technology to assist in its federal public safety efforts.

“Partnerships like this ensure we remain at the leading edge of integrating unmanned technology into maritime search and rescue. Drones are a tremendous asset for searching the confined areas around bridges and power lines and, when combined with manned helicopters, provide a more complete and effective maritime rescue package for the Bay Area public," U.S. Coast Guard Cmdr. Brian Potter said.