How drones are changing the way California firefighters respond to emergencies

Drones are becoming an increasingly common tool for first responders, giving firefighters and law enforcement an aerial view that can provide critical information during emergencies.

CBS News Sacramento got an inside look at the Mountain House French Camp Fire Department's drone program, one of a growing number of public safety agencies using the technology to supplement the work of crews on the ground.

Mountain House French Camp Fire Captain Shane Duburg, 25, leads the department's drone team.

"This job is unpredictable, and giving that extra edge to us that says, 'Hey, we have this new eye from the sky, safety factor,' really helps," Duburg said.

A new perspective during fires

Duburg saw the value of the technology firsthand during the Tracy Medline warehouse fire.

The drone provided crews with live overhead images, giving commanders another perspective as they worked to battle the blaze.

"Being able to give the on-scene responders, whether that's the battalion chiefs and the chiefs, the overhead on-scene, those images, it was great and helped out a lot," Duburg said.

Duburg currently leads a team of three drone pilots, including remote pilot-in-command Landon Stevens. The department plans to add three more pilots by the end of the year.

Stevens said drones give firefighters another way to assess a scene when visibility from the ground can be limited.

"They could point out hazards to us that maybe people can't see from the ground," Stevens said. "Especially when there's a fire going on, there's a lot happening at once."

Firefighters conducting what they call a 360-degree assessment of a building are trained to look at every side of a structure to determine what is happening inside and around it.

A drone can provide another vantage point without putting an additional firefighter in a potentially dangerous position.

"It's just another tool we have to get an even better angle," Stevens said.

Drones expanding beyond firefighting

The use of drones isn't limited to fires.

Charles Werner, a retired fire chief who spent 37 years with the Charlottesville, Virginia, Fire Department, including 10 years as fire chief, founded the nonprofit DroneResponders to help public safety agencies develop and safely use drone technology.

Werner said he created the organization after seeing departments across the country attempting to develop drone programs independently.

"I just saw this way that departments were trying to figure out how to do this," Werner said. "They were all starting from scratch."

Werner said the number of public safety drone programs has grown dramatically in recent years — from about 2,000 in 2019 to more than 10,000 today, according to figures he provided.

He said roughly 70% of those programs are used by law enforcement, while about 25% are operated by fire departments.

DroneResponders has more than 15,000 members across 94 countries, according to Werner.

The technology is now being used for wildfires, structure fires, hazardous-material incidents, traffic enforcement, searches for missing people and hostage situations, among other applications. Thermal cameras can also help crews locate people who might otherwise be difficult to see.

"We've seen police officers often having to chase people across fences and backyards," Werner said. "Well, now the drone does that, and a lot of times it's even combined with a drone with a K-9."

Drones aren't replacing helicopters

Werner said drones and helicopters have different capabilities and limitations, and he does not expect drones to replace traditional aircraft.

"There's a misconception that somehow drones are going to replace helicopters, and they're not, because they have two uniquely different missions and limitations," Werner said.

Drones can fly lower and provide high-resolution images in situations where a helicopter may not be able to provide the same perspective, he said.

One of the fastest-growing trends Werner has seen is the use of automated drone docks. The systems can launch a drone from a rooftop almost immediately after a 911 call, potentially giving first responders an aerial view before crews arrive or while they are responding.

Werner said that capability could be particularly useful for departments dealing with staffing shortages.

Drones are also being used in wildfire operations to drop devices sometimes called "dragon eggs," which can ignite vegetation ahead of a wildfire to create a controlled backfire and remove fuel from the fire's path.

"The technology is pretty new right now," Stevens said. "This isn't what I ever expected, joining the fire service. But it's a great tool to have, and it's really exciting to be able to just kind of expand our skill set."