Ambulance service first to invest in underwater drones

With the country recovering from relentless heat, London Ambulance Service has invested in four new underwater drones to boost its water incident response capability.

Helping find people submerged in water, the drones are used alongside sonar technology to locate and then retrieve casualties. The Hazardous Area Response Team at London Ambulance Service is the first ambulance team to use the technology with the service saying that it responds to 50 drowning incidents each year. With long periods of hot weather tempting people into the water, LAS has spent £40k on four drones to help its teams respond to the growing risk.

The Service’s Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) operates the drones and uses separate sonar technology to help locate casualties below the water’s surface. Once a casualty has been located, the underwater drone can be deployed to their location, using an arm attachment to bring them to the surface while sending high-quality underwater images back to the operator.

Once at the water’s edge, a drone can be deployed within minutes and by using this equipment, it means that HART paramedics do not have to enter the water, reducing risk to the crews. HART Paramedic Christel Oweis said that even for experienced responders, entering the water can be very challenging.

In Greater Manchester, the fire and rescue service is already using underwater drones with sonar capabilities to locate casualties in open water. The team developed the technology in-house and has used it many times in the canals and open water areas in the Greater Manchester area.

All HART paramedics are trained to carry out rescues in fast-moving water, with LAS saying that drones are now an integral part of that training. Sessions take place in a practice pool or at a white-water rafting venue and involve simulated scenarios using both mannequins and real people.

Find out more about how emergency services are using drones in the water and in the sky by visiting the drones and robotics demo area at The Emergency Tech Show on 16 and 17 September at the NEC in Birmingham. Find out more and register for The Emergency Tech Show here.