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With increased use of drones as part of search and rescue activity in the UK, the likelihood of drone operators finding themselves working alongside other kinds of aviation assets has grown too. One of those is the National Police Air Service (NPAS) and to increase our understanding of its capability and how we can work together, I visited an NPAS base with Lowland Rescue drone lead, Emily Butt.
NPAS provides borderless air support to the police forces across England and Wales 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from a national network of bases. The NPAS fleet comprises nine EC135 and EC145 helicopters, plus four fixed-wing aircraft. NPAS is delivered through a lead force model. West Yorkshire Police is currently the lead force.
Around half of the Mountain Rescue teams in England and Wales have drone capability, either directly or from neighbouring teams. Of the 34 Lowland Rescue Teams, 20 have a drone capability. Drone deployments are now business as usual in many areas and regularly include both Mountain Rescue and Lowland Rescue teams working alongside the NPAS helicopters and fixed wing aircraft. The aircraft range from the 4kg DJI M30T down to the sub 250g Dji Mini range. Most of the teams operate under an Operational Authorisation from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
Given the differing capabilities of the teams, it is not uncommon for NPAS to be operating at the same time as the drone teams. The long range, high powered sensors of the helicopter favouring a higher altitude and wider search area, allow the ground based teams to deploy their aircraft on more focused searches of ground features and in support of their teams on foot.
The standard operating procedures of the drone teams include deconfliction procedures which involve liaising with not only with NPAS but with air ambulance teams and the RAF low flying cell to inform them of our activities. It is envisaged that in the future, current manual deconfliction procedures will be complemented by Unmanned Air Traffic System Management (UTM) systems and remote identification protocols.
As the drone teams are limited by CAA regulations to 400ft above ground level, it is possible to agree the deconfliction processes either by minimum and maximum heights or distinct geographical separation. If for any reason the drone pilot becomes aware of an unexpected aircraft entering the search area, the procedure is to land the drone as quickly and safely as possible until it is confirmed that the correct deconfliction procedures are in place and both parties are aware of each other’s intentions.
We’ve been deployed on searches recently where the Mountain Rescue drone operators have been conducting detailed searches in support of teams on the ground and the NPAS Vulcanair fixed wing aircraft wre operating at 1500ft in the same area above us. Through careful coordination with the onsite Police Search Advisor and the NPAS control desk, both parties were happy to operate in the same area.
Given the large number of recreational drones in the UK, an ongoing concern is that of members of the public intentionally or inadvertently interfering with emergency services drone or helicopter operations. It can be difficult for aircrews and ground search teams to distinguish between drones deployed as part of the incident and those belonging to the public.
This may result in the helicopter or drone deployment being suspended until it is clarified who the drone is being operated by (with a potential risk to the life of a casualty). There are specific regulations in relation to this situation and the drone operator could be guilty of an offence if they are found to be flying in an area where an emergency response is ongoing.
On a number of occasions, we’ve been asked over the radio to withdraw the drone from a certain area, only to reply that we haven’t actually launched yet. Additionally, with the pilot nowhere in sight, it is likely that the drone was being flown beyond visual line of sight. This increases the risk of an incident either on the ground or with another aircraft. The CAA has strict rules about how and where recreational drones can be flown.
As drone use and associated technology develops, emergency drone and manned aviation assets will increasingly be working alongside each other. Visits like ours to the NPAS base in Leicestershire will continue to ensure we all develop the best ways to work for the safety of the public.
To read more about the use of drones in Mountain Rescue, read Brendan’s article An insight into drone use for remote searches and to learn more about Lowland Rescue, check out Emily Butt’s article , When search teams brave the elements, drones come into their own.
