During a news event on Wednesday, Cheatham and other Phoenix fire personnel demonstrated how drones are used to assist in combating fires.
Division chief Daniel Cheatham toggled his controls, watching as he directed one of three new Fire Department drones over a pile of rubble. Its engines whirred as it hovered over concrete slabs and a beat-up bus in a practice maneuver on Wednesday outside the Phoenix Fire Department Special Operations area.
Capt. Kenny Overton, the department's spokesperson, said drones are valuable for helping command staff make quick decisions during dangerous operations. "We can launch the drone and get a look at the vehicle, get a look at the placards on it before we have crews get to that and expose themselves to a chemical or substances," he said,"The zoom-in capabilities with the camera on the drone help us dial right in to see what is on this placard, what's going on, what kind of vehicle this is."
Drone operators complete around 50 hours of training to receive a basic Federal Administration Aviation license. They also undergo mission-specific training to prepare them for flying around structures or mountains and must attend mandatory monthly training sessions to keep their proficiency up.
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