Chippewa County first responders are experiencing a new level of crisis response with recent implementation of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS).
On July 14, representatives from Coast Guard sector Sault Ste. Marie, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Cloverland Electric Cooperative, Michigan State Police and local emergency responders participated in a UAS, “drone” day demonstration at Smithers test track in Brimley, Michigan.
Participants brought in drones to demonstrate, with setups ranging from Michigan Technological University’s custom built mini drones to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District’s massive 40,000 dollar systems.After the demonstrations, attendees ventured out to the test track to see the drones in action. Michigan State Police performed three drills – the largest demonstration using a drone with artificial intelligence to track a simulated drug bust.
Throughout the event, a major theme became the many benefits drones offer to rural Chippewa County. Michigan State Police use drones to track vehicles, read license plates and break glass in emergency situations. The Chippewa County Sherriff’s Office first responders use drones in search and rescue situations. Cloverland Electric Cooperative’s recently implemented drone program will use drones to monitor outage restoration efforts and patrol 4,000 miles of rural power line. The Army Corps of Engineers uses their drone to monitor the Soo Locks – checking infrastructure for maintenance opportunities and other daily operations.
While drones offer many benefits to search and rescue and emergency management operations, they also are changing daily operations for the utility industry. Cloverland Electric Cooperative’s Key Accounts Specialist, Jake Brown, was tasked with researching and implementing a drone program at the Cooperative.
“Drones are bringing new opportunities to rural Chippewa County,” Brown describes. “We can now analyze power lines for maintenance opportunities and power outage restoration efforts with efficiency.”
While drones provide many time saving and operational benefits, new technology is also providing increased levels of safety for first responders participating in search and rescue and emergency situations.
Drone programs in the Upper Peninsula will continue to develop, bringing exciting new technology to the rural area.
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