Updated IEDO 2022 report published on use of drones by first responders

The International Emergency Drone Organization (IEDO) was established in 2018 with the goal of alerting First Responders throughout the globe about the possibilities that drones provide to help their work.

This is accomplished, among other ways, via an annual conference and the publication of a report featuring a wealth of information, strategies, and practical examples. Version 2 of the report was just released.

About IEDO

Drones are suitable for assisting the fire department and rescue services with a variety of duties such as discovering missing people using zoom and thermal imaging cameras, detecting fire sources, analyzing traces after traffic accidents, giving an overview after catastrophes, and so on. This applies not just to flying unmanned systems, but also to driving and sailing robots.

Drones have saved hundreds of lives in this fashion in recent years. Many fire departments and rescue organizations now have a drone squad. And, as drones are used more often and broadly during natural disasters, more and more expertise is obtained. This expertise is gathered by the more than 700 IEDO members from 50 Countries and made accessible in a variety of ways.

Best Practices in Robotics Report 2022

Version 2 of IEDO's worldwide best practices report, offering several practical advise on the usage of drones by first responders, was recently released. This includes not only technical specifics about drones, sensors, and payloads, but also organizational and procedural issues, safety management, and collaboration with other teams.

Furthermore, there is a lot of interest in particular applications including Search and Rescue in varied situations, firefighting, disaster management, and hazardous incident response. Techniques such as mapping, live broadcasting, the usage of tethered drones, the construction of drone command vehicles, illuminating an area, and dropping things are covered.

The study expressly excludes from consideration rules and regulations governing the use of drones. Users should get their own Legal and technical counsel that is appropriate to their unique circumstances.

The paper included contributions from dozens of first responders, firemen, rescues, and military people from 14 nations. Nonetheless, IEDO warns that the report is far from finished. As a result, the group hopes that more individuals in the industry will contribute to the document in the future.

Future developments

Finally, IEDO anticipates longer flying periods, improved weather resistance, improved RGB and IR cameras, and additional lighting and audio system choices in the future. In the longer term, IEDO sees a lot of promise for VTOL fixed-wing drones, AI, drone swarms, radiation and chemical sensors, augmented reality, and 3D modeling.

You can read more stories about how drones are being used for good here on DroneXL.

Photos courtesy of IEDO.