FRED (Fast Response Emergency Drone) is the name given to a very special service, which is operating with a Polaris Ranger 570 Crew in South West Scotland. Holywood Services, the Polaris dealer for the area, has supplied the Ranger to Duncan Carmichael’s Community Interest project for the emergency services, to carry drones for deployment to ‘accident’ sites.
The off-road abilities of the Ranger Crew can take them to otherwise inaccessible areas where the drones are to be used for faster search and rescue assessment. Images sent back by the drones are assessed for the emergency services to take appropriate action, effectively saving money, for example, by not having to send the air ambulance to a non-critical scene.
The Ranger 570 Crew was requested as the ideal machine for the job of travelling with the drones, carrying up to four people and having the space for a stretcher mounted on the rear box or for tools and equipment.
The Scottish Ambulance Service, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Police Scotland and national power companies can all benefit from the drones being able to go to road traffic accidents, flooding and searches for missing persons. Search areas and distances covered are far wider with the drones deployed and where there is a need the 4×4 capabilities of the Ranger 570 Crew can take emergency volunteers right to the scene of the accident or disaster zone.
