In 2015, the Bedford Fire Department (BFD) in Bedford County, VA, added a new apparatus to their arsenal, a drone. At the time, BFD was one of the first fire departments in the United States to begin exploring drone possibilities. When a call about a lost hiker on the Peaks of Otter came in, BFD knew it was time to test out their new drone. A section of the Blue Mountian Range, the extremely popular Peaks of Otter are made up of 3 mountains (Sharp Top, Flat Top, and Harkening Hill) overlooking Bedford.

With hundreds of visitors each year, BFD has become accustomed to responding to calls of hikers who wander off the trails, becoming lost and in need of rescue. With the new drone at the ready, BFD assisted in quickly locating a hiker stranded on Sharp Top. It was a great success, the hiker was recovered, and BFD got to field test the drone.

Shortly after news of BFD’s first drone assisted rescue was released, BFD Tillerman Curtis Marshall received a call from the former Chief of Charlottesville Fire Department. The chief congratulated BFD on the success of the drone mission but wanted to know if BFD had a COA (Certificate Of Authorization) from the FAA. BFD was unaware they needed a COA, complete with additional training, to use the drone within FAA compliance. Curtis took on the responsibility of bringing the department up to code for drone usage. After more than 1,000 hours of paperwork and training, BFD became one of the first fire departments to obtain a COA for public safety.

Curtis explained that it was far more difficult than he expected since the language for the process is geared towards pilots, not firefighters. “It’s been a long process,” Curtis said. “A tedious process, and a learning everyday process.” With the knowledge Curtis gained through the COA application process, he took it upon himself to help fire departments around the country who were interested in utilizing drones. Today, fully FAA compliant, BFD has had many opportunities to use its drone.

Twice in November, BFD joined forces with the nearby Huddleston Volunteer Fire Department to address wildfires raging through dense forest areas. As stated by representatives from BFD, “On both incidents the UAV was utilized to gauge how many acres were burning which allowed the incident commander to determine the number of resources that would be needed to control the fire.” BFD was once again called for assistance this past week when two hikers decided to go on a Christmas Day hike up Sharp Top.

The hikers went up the mountain, not realizing how quickly it would get dark, and became lost trying to reach Buzzards Roost, a scenic overlook. “Drone 1 was deployed to utilize its thermal camera and quickly located the hikers who were below Buzzards Roost,” said a BFD representative. “Following the drone, rescuers were able to quickly locate the two male hikers who had set off onto the trails before dusk without proper lighting or emergency equipment.” While BFD may have had a rocky start to its program, a lot of dedication has led to the drone becoming an indispensable apparatus for the department.