By Robert Mittendorf
The Bellingham Herald (Bellingham, Wash.)
BELLINGHAM, Wash. — A state grant of nearly a half-million dollars is allowing the Bellingham Police Department to expand its use of aerial drones, creating a new program to deploy remotely-piloted aircraft that will respond to emergency situations and survey the scene ahead of police, firefighters or other personnel.
Chief of Police Rebecca Mertzig provided details of the Drone as First Responder program during the City Council’s Public Health, Safety, Justice, and Equity Committee meeting on Monday.
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“With the new Drone as First Responder program, a licensed (Bellingham Police) officer remotely pilots a drone to be sent immediately to the scene of a 911 call — within minutes, before officers or other responders arrive — to gather a first-hand view of conditions at the scene. By quickly getting us critical information about what’s happening on the ground, it allows us to send the right response for the situation and improves safety for everyone involved,” Mertzig told The Bellingham Herald in an email.
Bellingham officials have created a website that will track how the drone is being used, Mertzig said.
Such Drone as First Responder programs use a network of small copters that are kept in takeoff and landing boxes atop buildings or in other locations, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
“The drones transmit critical information back to emergency teams in real time, allowing for faster and better-informed decision-making, Homeland Security said at its website.
Drone landing sites will be on the roof of the Bellingham Police Station, the Pacific Street Operations Center, and Bellis Fair mall, Mertzig said.
More than 1,000 Drone as First Responder programs are operating in cities across the U.S., according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation , a civil-rights watchdog. More than 400 cities in the United Kingdom use the devices, according to a video produced by the National Police Chiefs’ Council.
According to data from the National League of Cities, drones are helping places like Schenectady, N.Y., which cleared 64 percent of calls without sending officers.
Drone as First Responder is different from the Police Department’s current Unmanned Aerial Systems program, which started in 2019, according to an informational video produced by the city.
Bellingham’s program will start with four drone operators, Mertzig said. Police hope to staff the program around the clock, but it will take time to train the operators needed.
“Officers who operate the DFR drones would be able to use them to provide immediate critical information to other city departments who may be involved in an emergency response, such as a fire, natural disaster, or other dangerous conditions like a landslide or flooding. Only BPD officers will pilot the drones,” she said.
A state grant of $475,417 funds the purchase, installation and implementation costs of the drone program through 2028, according to the City Council agenda for Monday. Grant money comes from House Bill 2015, which allowed the city to enact a sales tax of one-tenth of 1% earmarked for public safety last year.
“We will use these new drones to assess conditions at the scene of 911 calls, which can be useful when 911 calls don’t provide all the information about what’s occurring. Additionally, like (at the Harris Avenue fire in 2023), a DFR drone could use its thermal imaging capabilities to assess conditions of a fire and provide information about the locations of any people who may be in the building,” Mertzig said.
Police already use drones to monitor crowds, help search for suspects and for other purposes. The Drone as First Responder program would expand its use.
“By integrating real-time information into frontline operations, the Bellingham Police Department can meaningfully strengthen public safety outcomes, reduce organizational and community risk and modernize the city’s emergency response infrastructure. Real-time drone deployments can support the Bellingham Fire Department by providing rapid visual assessment of structure fires, hazardous materials incidents, wildland-urban interface risks, and medical emergencies where scene safety is uncertain. Our Parks Department can use this technology to efficiently monitor large open spaces. Public Works teams can also monitor infrastructure conditions, assess damage after storms, support traffic flow analysis, and enhance situational awareness during major public events or construction impacts. By functioning as a shared municipal resource, the DFR program enhances interdepartmental coordination, maximizes technological investment, and improves the city’s overall resilience and service delivery” according to Monday’s agenda.
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