The first message reported a boater who had fallen into the water. New alert a few minutes later for a man who left on a paddle and who has not been heard from again. For the firefighters stationed on the Breton coast, these two emergency situations are not exceptional. But this Friday morning, don’t panic because it is simply an exercise organized in Minihic-sur-Rance, a town on the banks of the Rance located between Dinard and Dinan.
Aboard an inflatable boat, the diving team is of course on hand to comb the area. In the air, the Civil Security Dragon 50 helicopter based in Granville (Manche) usually assists them in this task. But this time, two drones are flying over the coastal river, piloted remotely from land by two firefighters. “It’s quite easy to handle but you have to be very vigilant so as not to lose sight of it,” says chief warrant officer Hervé Abraham, his eyes glued to his control screen.
Saving time when surveying large areas
Like him, eleven other firefighters from Ille-et-Vilaine were trained by their colleagues from Finistère to pilot these flying machines. Since June, they have formed the drone reconnaissance and intervention team, the RID. A new specialized team within the Departmental Fire and Rescue Service (Sdis) which can be engaged at any time and for any type of intervention. “The use of drones is now becoming frequent for forest fires, floods or searching for victims,” explains Lieutenant-Colonel Joël Bouly.
For rescue at sea, the drone is indeed a particularly valuable aid in enabling firefighters to quickly locate the victim. “This allows us to cover a large area in a very short time,” underlines Commander Philippe Rosquin. During the exercise, one of the drones carries out this mission while the other is stationed above the diving team to ensure their safety.
Some drones capable of dropping life jackets
On land, a mobile command post deployed on the ground receives the filmed images live on a large screen. “Before each intervention, we need as much information as possible,” indicates Lieutenant-Colonel Joël Bouly. We must then translate them to have the most precise information in order to use the most appropriate means. »
A decision-making tool, the drone can also directly save lives at sea. In Spain, for example, certain models are equipped to drop life jackets to people in difficulty, allowing them to keep their heads above water. water before help arrives. “We are not there yet here but the use of drones will quickly become more widespread,” promises Lieutenant Vincent Hamon, RID referent of Sdis 35.