Crewmembers at Grafton Fire and Rescue 306 Station are praising the capabilities of their new drone, declaring it a game-changer for local firefighting operations.

“From assessing hazardous materials (HAZMAT) incidents, searching for missing people, providing aerial intelligence about bushfires, and dropping incendiary devices into the bush to safely ignite hazard reduction burns, the drone does it all,” Grafton Fire and Rescue 306 Station Captain Garry Reardon said.

“We’ve recently upgraded to the DJI Matrice 30 (model), and it’s like having a helicopter in your pocket.

“Our firefighter pilots are highly trained and conducted a week’s training to get a Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) qualification, and we’re licensed to fly during the day and night.”

Captain Reardon said the drone’s infra-red camera can highlight people lost in the bush, or animals caught in the line of fire.

“We know of operations elsewhere in which a person’s been missing for 24 hours, they get a drone involved with its infra-red technology, and typically the person is found within 15 to 20 minutes,” he revealed.

“This is timber country, and there’s lots of rugged bush and a lot of national parks where people come and camp and go bushwalking, and if somebody does get lost and they’re reported missing, we can be called on to assist.

“We live in an age of information, and we now use these Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) drones to act as our eyes in the sky, providing real-time intelligence to firefighters making vital decisions on the ground.

“It’s brought us an enormous boost to our operational capability, that’s for sure.”

FRNSW has deployed RPAS units at more than two dozen strategic, regional areas across the state, including the Clarence Valley.