Atlanta Fire Rescue starting dedicated drone unit

Atlanta Fire Rescue starts drone unit

Atlanta Fire Rescue is launching a dedicated from unit on August 14th. Though the unit will be new, it won't be the first time officials used drone to save lives. Most recently, the department used a drone to help rescue two people trapped in the Chattahoochee River on Saturday.

ATLANTA - Atlanta Fire Rescue is creating a dedicated drone unit to help save lives.

What we know:

The unit will officially begin work on August 14th. It will be made up of six people -- with a pilot and observer on every shift.

What they're saying:

"It's becoming an industry standard. Especially in our larger cities where we have big buildings. And Atlanta is such a diverse community where we have a river such as the Chattahoochee River where we have high rises, we have multiple parks, we've got the beltline," Battalion Chief Matt Driver said.

"We want to get in and get things taken care of quickly," he added.

Right now, the department has 5 drones in the city, but Driver said more are on the way.

An Atlanta Fire Rescue drone takes off. 

"It's basically giving us something to put out there so we're not putting human lives in danger," he explained.

Why you should care:

Drone video played a key role in locating the two men stuck in the Chattahoochee River when their tubes started deflating Saturday night.

"With the thermal imaging capabilities like we have with our drone unit, we're able to locate people extremely fast. We're talking minutes versus hours," Driver said.

Part 107 certified drone pilot William Cross, who runs the Instagram page @Drone_golf, used his drone to spot the men and lead firefighters to them.

"We put the drones up and APD was up and had their spotlights, and we could see the kids on a rock," Cross said.

"We're fortunate being in Atlanta that we have a lot of things at our fingertips. We had Phoenix Air along with personal drone operators that were all trying to help out," Driver added.

Drones are also used to protect firefighters too. In June, the fire department says firefighters used a drone to spot a partial building collapse in this warehouse fire and get their teams to safety.

"Not only is it going to assist the community, but it's going to keep our firefighters safe," Driver said.