If a harbor fire were to break out in one of the region’s many waterways and cause an oil spill, could drones be deployed to aid in the emergency response? Federal and local public safety officials think so.

 

On Tuesday, April 30, 2024 the Atlantic City Fire Department, Atlantic City Police Department, Atlantic City Beach Patrol, United States Coast Guard and New Jersey State Police’s Marine Services Bureau, along with aviation experts and organizations including American Aerospace Technologies Inc. and AeroDefense demonstrated how drones can be used to respond to a simulated harbor fire and resulting oil spill, and to support public safety as they monitor the ongoing emergency and alert local civilians. This demonstration at historic Bader Field served as a training exercise and a major step to review, practice and refine emergency response protocols and techniques.

 

In this emergency response scenario, a boat has caught fire in a marina. As a result, oil has spilled into the water and is in danger of spreading. In addition, local civilians need to be alerted to the situation and potentially evacuated. Drones were integrated into the public safety response to:

 

Officials at the event command post also monitored local airspace for non-participating drones to ensure safe flight operations. In addition to the drone flights, the Coast Guard deployed a boat and helicopter, as it would during a real emergency. The participation by the Coast Guard gave first responder participants an opportunity to study the feasibility of Coast Guard overflight (observation) operations in events where drones are in use, with the goal of safe interaction of air and water-based craft.