Construction on the Notre Dame cathedral first began in 1160 while under the leadership of Bishop Maurice de Sully. A hundred years latter it was finally completed. The structure, made mostly of stone and wood, went through several restorations over the years, but has stood as a landmark in the 4th arrondissement of Paris for hundreds of years. Then, on April 15, 2019 tragedy struck the historical landmark when a fire broke out in the attic. The famous spire that rose roughly 300ft into the air was at the time being restored. The lead plates that covered the 13th century wood of the spire had began to deteriorate, leaving the wood beneath perfect for kindling. Fire brigades were well aware of the risk of fire and had at least one officer on duty daily to oversee construction. But as any firefighter will tell you, a fire can be wholly unpredictable.

As the flames began to rage across the roof of the cathedral and up the spire the world looked on in horror. News crews and civilians captured the event live with drones. But not only did the drones give the world a constant view of the fire, they also helped save Notre-Dame from burning down to the ground. Because of the dangers of updrafts, helicopters could not be used to investigate the fire. The majority of the flames needed to be attacked from the inside, as the outside of the structure would not be able to support the pressure from water being directly dropped on it. It became critical to get a clear image of the fire so the fire brigade could effectively plan a course of action.

More than 400 hundred French fire brigade members were on hand to fight the fire, but it was the help of two small drones that allowed the firefighters to coordinate their attack. Drones have been used in firefighting for some time now because they can quickly and safely asses a fire. They can send a live stream image to a team on the ground that shows them the precise points to position hoses at. Because of their design, there is no concern of an updraft like with a helicopter. Drones can also be deployed much faster than any other aerial rescue vehicle. But before the drones could be used for the Notre-Dame fire some quick regulation hurtles had to be adjusted.

It is illegal to fly drones within the city limits of Paris. The entire city is geofenced to block drones from lifting off the ground without a special permit. In most cases these permits can take some time to obtain before the geofencing restrictions are lifted for a pilot to fly a drone. The Parisian Police Drone Unit quickly got in touch with the manufacturers of the two drones, DJI, to lift the geofencing restrictions. With in moments the two DJI Mavic Pros were in the air relaying feedback to the fire brigade below. The images sent through the drone’s cameras allowed the brigade to expertly position the Colossus firefighting robot inside the cathedral. Built by Shark Robotics, Colossus is a 1,102lb remote controlled robot that can work for up to 12 hours to put out a fire. Between the small drones in the air and the behemoth one inside the cathedral, the fire was put out. Gabriel Plus, a spokesperson from the fire brigade said, “The drones allowed us to correctly use what we had at our disposal. It is thanks to these drones, to this new technique absolutely unavoidable today, that we could make tactical choices to stop this fire at a time when it was potentially occupying the two belfries.”

Once the smoke had cleared and it was safe to examine the extent of damage, drones once again approached Notre-Dame to assist in a full inspection. The world had already watched as the famed spire was engulfed by the flames and crashed down to the ground, but luckily the new drone footage showed that much of the cathedral had been saved. The images taken by the drone showed a gaping hole running along the roof of the cathedral, but the two bell towers were spared from any damage. Many of the priceless works of art and religious relics inside the cathedral were also saved, but the road to recovery would be a long one.

President Macron has set a goal to have Notre-Dame fully restored to glory by the 2024 Summer Olympics set to be held in Paris. However, completing a job of this magnitude in that time frame is a huge undertaking, one that will not be possible without further aid from modern technological devices. Drones will surely be brought in once again to help engineers make 3D blueprints, undertake countless compliance inspections, and trouble shoot many issues. Katherine Malone-France, the interim chief preservation officer of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a privately funded nonprofit organization based in Washington, pointed out that the melding of the UNESCO World Heritage site and tools of the future will be a landmark occasion. “This is going to be a very interesting intersection of technology and craft, and the world will be closely watching how they pull it off,” she said. The truth is, that there is just as much grace and beauty in the capabilities of what today’s engineers create as that found in the centuries old Notre-Dame, making them a perfect combination.

In a dual effort to remind Parisians of the city’s resilience and to show appreciation to the tirelessly working health care professionals, President Macron had Notre-Dame’s still standing 17th century bell rung out for all to hear. Communities across the world have begun showing their admiration to those risking their lives in the fight against the coronavirus by clapping and cheering for them nightly. As “le bourdon” rang out at 8pm, Wednesday, April 15, 2020 on the one year anniversary of the fire it served as a symbol to Parisians and the world alike. As Brice de Malherbe, a priest at Notre Dame said, “My feeling today is mainly hope because the cathedral is still there. We don’t have the blazing flames we had a year ago. Of course, the cathedral is hurt, but it seems nearly serene.” The ringing bell was a symbol of hope that the world and the cathedral would be healed. While restoration is currently suspended President Macron announced, “The restoration of Notre Dame is a symbol of the resilience of our people and our capacity to overcome great trials. You pave the way for better days,” he continued, “when we will find the joy of being together again and the spire of Notre Dame once again reaches to the sky.”

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