FDNY eyes new drone technology to enhance response to 911 emergencies

New York City officials announced they are conducting "a comparative assessment" of new unmanned aircraft systems — or drones — for FDNY first responders, a move aimed at improving technologies already employed by city agencies and helping to make life safer for all New Yorkers.

In a Wednesday news conference at Hudson Yards, FDNY Commissioner Robert S. Tucker said the ongoing assessments are being conducted in conjunction with multiple agencies — the Department of Homeland Security, the National Urban Security Technology Laboratory, and the NYPD — and said any assessment will incorporate Department of Defense-approved drones that have been vetted to be "cyber-secure."

The FDNY Robotics Unit first deployed drones in 2017.

The eventual goal, officials said, is to ultimately deploy autonomous drones to every firehouse in the city, allowing early assessment of a fire scene for responders when they get a 911 call.

"The key here," said Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Kaz Daughtry, "is when there's a 911 call for, God forbid, there's a fire, the drone will autonomously fly to that scene first as the firefighters are getting ready, throwing their gear on, [so] when they get into the first truck, the lieutenant inside the fire cab can look and get a quick scene assessment before he even gets to the actual scene."

Use of such technology, Daughtry said, will enable firefighters to understand how they might attack a fire or conduct a rescue while still en route.

"The FDNY has fully embraced drone technology," Tucker said, noting, "Drones have become integral for our fire chiefs."

Though the FDNY could not immediately provide numbers Thursday, Tucker said the department currently has drones deployed in all five boroughs and those drones are equipped with thermal imaging cameras and have heat-detection and real-time video capabilities.

That, he said, is not just important for firefighters and zone chiefs, but because that information can be assessed in real time citywide, it allows all levels of incident command to assess a situation and formulate an appropriate response.

"With this technology we locate hot spots in fires," Tucker said, adding that responders can also remotely access a building, assess structural stability and other crucial factors — all of which, he said, "is key to the safety of our first responders."

He said the FDNY intends to "significantly expand" drone technology citywide, though the department did not immediately respond to questions seeking any timeline or budget for any expansion program.

In a video of the news conference city officials made available via YouTube, Emergency Management Commissioner Zachary Iscol recalled how he first used drones while a Marine deployed in Iraq, and said the technology has improved leaps and bounds in the decades since.

The city currently deploys drones in NYPD and FDNY operations, as well as to assess weather emergencies and help lifeguards protect beachgoers.

"It's really about doing lifesaving work," Iscol said. "Every day we have a team that's out at the beaches monitoring for sharks, working with our lifeguards to identify people, swimmers, who might be in distress ... There's really no end to the capabilities of drones and I think we're really only beginning to scratch the surface of their use in public service."

As Daughtry said: "If it can work in New York City, it can work anywhere."

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”