“There’s multiple applications for drones,” said Ronnie Pearson, director of Warren County’s Emergency Management Office.

“Let’s say we get a call at 1 a.m. along Drakes Creek. We could utilize a drone, and some of the applications have infrared technology. It looks for heat signatures. The technology also includes GPS databases.

“When it finds a heat signature, it can tell you the latitude and longitude of that heat signature. Then you can dispatch emergency services to that location to determine if it’s possibly the victim you are looking for.”

Currently, search-and-rescue operations involve a significant amount of manpower and sometimes a helicopter from the Kentucky National Guard.

“But from the time we initiate that request until they arrive on scene, sometimes can be three to four hours,” Pearson said of the aircraft, which are all located in Frankfort.

“We have to get the approvals through the chain of command to make that work. They have to fly to Bowling Green to refuel, then they have to be briefed on the search area. Then they have to fly that mission, and if they come across a heat signature, we have radio communication with them and they give us latitude and longitude to respond to that heat signature. They fly back to the airport, refuel and are assigned another search area if they not successful.”

A drone can be deployed immediately. It can fly for the duration of its battery life, then have its battery replaced and resume its search. It takes about three minutes to change the battery in a drone.

“There are variations in flight time,” Pearson said. “I think the maximum is about an hour. Then you bring it back to your command post location and stick a new battery in it. It’s real-time technology. Some have modules where you could use either infrared or video.”

Another possible application for drones is flying over a tornado-damaged area to check for people in areas where vehicles can’t get through.

A drone could also be useful in the event of a train derailment in which a train carrying toxic chemicals makes it unsafe for a first responder to approach a rail car without proper bodily protection. With a quick flyover, a drone can capture video of the signage on the train to let emergency personnel know immediately what type of substance the car is carrying.

“There are over 100 railcars a day that come through Bowling Green carrying hazardous chemicals,” Pearson said.

That toxic atmosphere is called IDLH – Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health. Those chemicals have thresholds for entry or getting near.

“Depending on the level of those chemicals would dictate the type of gear used to make entry,” Pearson said.

That gear could include a self-contained suit that has its own breathing apparatus, and it doesn’t allow liquids or vapors inside the suit.

Often in the event of a tanker overturn and leak, stopping the leak may simply mean turning off a valve. That would require an emergency responder suiting up and putting hands on the valve. If a tank is punctured, a drone can fly overhead to help emergency responders determine how big of an area needs to be evacuated.

“I think it could be a big help,” Skipper said. “It’s a chance of getting some information without having to endanger a person.

“With a drone you can get a view of a scene that you can’t get from the ground. Those vantage points sometimes yield helpful information. We’ve got two sets of tracks in our area – a CSX line and an R.J. Corman line. I can see this being used on the interstate as well with truck accidents and especially those that might be carrying hazardous materials.”

The type of drone needed for emergency management applications would cost about $70,000.

“I would like to get something going within the next months,” Pearson said. “We have grant opportunities in the summer of 2016. Hopefully we can put together a good specification for the needs of Warren County.

“We’re going to reach out to Western and their environmental science department, which provided drones for the sinkhole collapse (at the National Corvette Museum) to help us partner and use this technology for the benefit of the citizens of Warren County. They have already had some expertise and utilization of this technology,” Pearson said.

Pearson is hopeful that drone users at WKU will offer advice on the selection of drones and training.