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New York’s Orange County set to begin using UAS

By AUVSI News posted 26-06-2017 16:00

  




Orange County, New York’s Emergency Services Department will begin using UAS for a variety of tasks around the county.

The UAS program will be overseen by Deputy Commissioner of Emergency Services Alan Mack.

Mack, who is a licensed UAS operator and recent retiree from the U.S. Army, is looking forward to getting this new technology into the sky.

“The drones will be a valuable tool in many emergency situations and we are eager to put this program into practice,” Mack says via the Hudson Valley News Network

The county began pursuing UAS after a CSX freight train carrying sulfuric acid and other hazardous materials derailed in Newburgh, New York back in March.

After participating in a Homeland Security Exercise Evaluation Program (HSEEP) full-scale exercise five months earlier, which simulated a rail emergency involving the transportation of Bakken crude oil, first responders and officials were prepared for the March derailment, and were able to successfully coordinate during the incident, but now, they will be able to use this new technology to replace humans in these dangerous situations.

“Firemen were sent into potentially dangerous areas to look for leaks after the train in Newburgh derailed,” says Commissioner of Emergency Services Brendan Casey. 

“The UAV program will allow us to send drones into hazardous areas such as these.”

Casey says that the main uses for the UAS will include responding to fires and hazardous-material spills/incidents, such as the one in March, as well as for search and rescue operations, and storm/disaster mitigation and evaluation. 

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