Barcelona has taken a step forward in emergency management with the adoption of drones. Since 2022, the Barcelona City Council has been testing these unmanned aerial devices to evaluate their effectiveness in emergency situations. The results have been so promising that the city has decided to formally integrate drones for emergency management.
For this reason, the Barcelona City Council has signed a contract with Barna Porters, a company specialized in security, to provide two drone teams for the next two years.
This contract, valued at 36,082 euros, will allow the Civil Protection, Prevention, Fire Fighting and Rescue Service (SPCPEIS) and the City Guard to use these advanced devices to improve their response capabilities in critical situations.
Characteristics of drones for emergency management
1.First Equipment: High-tech Drones
The first kit consists of two drones similar to the DJI Mavic 3T, each with a flight autonomy of at least 45 minutes. These drones are equipped with visible sensor cameras that can reach up to 56x magnification, allowing detailed images to be obtained from a great distance. In addition, they have radiometric thermal cameras, loudspeakers and spotlights, and the ability to geo-reference images to accurately locate missing persons.
2.Second equipment: Drones for specific tasks
The second kit includes two drones similar to the DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise Advanced. Although its performance is slightly lower than the first device, with a flight autonomy of 30 minutes and a camera with a 4K sensor and a zoom of up to 32x, it is still highly effective for surveillance and rescue tasks. Each of these drones costs around 6,000 euros.
Rental Services: an economical solution
Instead of acquiring the drones and maintaining a specialized team to operate them, the City has opted to rent the services, which is more economical. This approach includes not only the drones, but also the personnel needed to operate them, thus ensuring that emergency services can rely on the latest technology without having to purchase them.
Benefits of drones in emergency management
The ability to obtain real-time aerial imagery is invaluable in emergency situations. Drones can provide a bird’s eye view that allows responders to better assess the situation and coordinate their actions more effectively. This is particularly useful in cases of fires, floods, traffic accidents and searches for missing persons.
In addition, drones can access areas that are dangerous or inaccessible to humans, reducing the risk to rescue teams and enabling faster and safer intervention. In addition, its ability to perform automated flights and geo-reference imagery ensures that accurate and useful data can be obtained efficiently.
