Bergen County Becomes First N.J. County To Use Emergency Response Drones
HACKENSACK, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Bergen County has become the first county in New Jersey to use drones in law enforcement.
As WCBS 880's Peter Haskell reported Tuesday, the county has five drones intended to help keep first responders safe.
"Usually, the drone comes in handy because you don't have to risk human life," said Bergen County emergency management coordinator Lt. Matthew Tiedemann.
Tiedemann said he saw the value in an intense fire in Waldwick last year.
"I mean, within 30 seconds, they're putting the drone up. We could tell that the master stream out of the ladder truck was not hitting the heat of the fire," Tiedemann said.
That enabled firefighters to redirect the water.
The drones can also be used to search for suspects and victims.