A remotely piloted aircraft system in major incident management: concept and pilot, feasibility study

Abstract

BackgroundMajor incidents are complex, dynamic and bewildering task environments characterised by simultaneous, rapidly changing events, uncertainty and ill-structured problems. Efficient management, communication, decision-making and allocation of scarce medical resources at the chaotic scene of a major incident is challenging and often relies on sparse information and data. Communication and information sharing is primarily voice-to-voice through phone or radio on specified radio frequencies. Visual cues are abundant and difficult to communicate between teams and team members that are not co-located.The aim was to assess the concept and feasibility of using a remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) system to support remote sensing in simulated major incident exercises.MethodsWe carried out an experimental, pilot feasibility study. A custom-made, remotely controlled, multirotor unmanned aerial vehicle with vertical take-off and landing was equipped with digital colour- and thermal imaging cameras, a laser beam, a mechanical gripper arm and an avalanche transceiver. We collected data in five simulated exercises: 1) mass casualty traffic accident, 2) mountain rescue, 3) avalanche with buried victims, 4) fisherman through thin ice and 5) search for casualties in the dark.ResultsThe unmanned aerial vehicle was remotely controlled, with high precision, in close proximity to air space obstacles at very low levels without compromising work on the ground. Payload capacity and tolerance to wind and turbulence were limited. Aerial video, shot from different altitudes, and remote aerial avalanche beacon search were streamed wirelessly in real time to a monitor at a ground base. Electromagnetic interference disturbed signal reception in the ground monitor.ConclusionA small remotely piloted aircraft can be used as an effective tool carrier, although limited by its payload capacity, wind speed and flight endurance. Remote sensing using already existing remotely piloted aircraft technology in pre-hospital environments is feasible and can be used to support situation assessment and information exchange at a major incident scene.Regulations are needed to ensure the safe use of unmanned aerial vehicles in major incidents. Ethical issues are abundant.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12873-015-0036-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Comparison of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Technology Versus Standard Practice in Identification of Hazards at a Mass Casualty Incident Scenario by Primary Care Paramedic Students

“…Although there are multiple sources that promote UAVs within the disaster medicine context there are limited studies conducted on topic comparing UAV technology and SP. 1,13,14 We wanted to examine the effect of this technology on the first part of managing a mass casualty motor vehicle collision scene, namely safe hazard identification. 5,12,15 During this type of event first responders could be exposed to a number of different hazards that would cause harm to both themselves and victims.…”

“…These being more descriptive in nature, case studies, opinion pieces, simulation, or feasibility studies. 1,3,6,14,16,17 This study is one of the first to conduct a prospective observational cohort method using UAV technology on simulated hazards with primary care paramedic students. This study not only demonstrated the feasibility of the technology but its significant benefit in identification of scene hazards within the disaster medicine context.…”

“…1,2 Decisions by an incident commander (IC) are often made in a high intensity, uncertain environment with ambiguous information and minimal or sub-optimal situational awareness. 1 It has been suggested that unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology has the potential to fundamentally change the practice of civilian emergency medical services (EMS), improving the situational awareness of ICs and safety of first responders. 3 UAVs can provide ICs with enhanced capabilities such as mass gathering monitoring, delivery of medical supplies, search and rescue, telemetry in remote areas, and early warning of danger during operations.…”

“…One potential use of UAV technology is in the identification of scene hazards that may alter the response to a mass casualty or disaster incident. 1,12 Despite a proliferation of UAV technology we were unable to find any studies that compared UAV technology to standard practice (SP) in this context. 13 The aim of this study was to compare UAV technology to SP, by paramedic students, in hazard identification during a simulated multi-vehicle motor collision (MVC) in terms of time to identification, accuracy, and the order of hazard identification.…”

First Report of Using Portable Unmanned Aircraft Systems (Drones) for Search and Rescue

“…One study suggested UAS may be useful for avalanche search. 5 Some potential pitfalls exist. Portable UAS consume energy to power the motors, camera, and transmitters; thus, operating time is often limited by battery power to up to 30 minutes.…”