Drone first responders help Asheville Police and Fire keep community safe
A new drone first responder unit in Asheville is helping the Police and Fire Departments keep their community safe.
Thursday afternoon, WYFF's crews were able to watch the drones in action as Asheville Fire Department spotted a smoke plume during a burn ban. In cases like this, Asheville Fire's Kelley Klope says the drones' thermal cameras are helpful.
"It also allows us to view a surrounding area, exposures, see where the most area burned is," she said.
The average drone will respond to a call in downtown Asheville in about 30 seconds. According to Captain Brandon Moore with Asheville Police, that came in handy when police received several calls about a man chasing people with a knife.
"Instead of going to an unknown, man with a knife, running after people downtown, we went to hey here's some footage update from the drone operator to the officer who is arriving," Moore said. "This is what he's wearing, this is where he's at. This is what he's holding. Or this is where he put it. And in that instance, we were able to make contact without further incident and take him into custody."
Nearly 37% of Asheville Police Department's jobs remain open. With that in mind, drones play a vital role in life-or-death situations, like missing people searches.
"Now I can follow this person wherever they go and get an officer to them, instead of sending six officers and having them search an area, I can pinpoint right where this person went," said Moore.
This could save civilians' and officers' lives, as the drone video better prepare law enforcement for what they'll walk into.
"Having the drone above and giving that footage back immediately and then hearing additional information coming in about the call you're about to go to sets the tone for the call. And if we set a better tone before we arrive, we expect and will see better outcomes," said Moore.