A new five-year IAFF initiative will train HazMat instructors to use drones during hazardous materials responses across North America, helping reduce firefighter exposure at potentially dangerous scenes.
Drones could soon play a larger role in hazardous materials response, entering potentially contaminated areas first to gather air readings, identify hazards, and give incident commanders better information before firefighters are sent downrange.
The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) is developing a training program designed to bring that capability to departments across North America.
IAFF HazMat instructors recently gathered in Statesville, North Carolina, for drone training delivered by the Remote Tactical Solutions Group (RTS). The July session marked the first phase of a five-year initiative to integrate drone technology into hazardous materials response training.
“We know there’s going to be a shift in training standards that will require us to use drones as part of downrange reconnaissance and overall air monitoring,” said Josh Smith, Assistant to the General President for Training, Education, and Grants. “That helps keep first responders out of harm’s way.”
The initial focus is on certifying drone pilots and creating a curriculum that HazMat instructors can bring back to their departments. The training covered Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations as well as hands-on drone operations.
“This is going to be a five-year program,” Smith said. “As we build it out, it will transition to a drone-response type training.”
Sheldon George, an IAFF HazMat instructor and member of the Uniformed Firefighters Association of New York Local 94, said the training showed strong collaboration among departments and instructors.
“I could look around and see firefighters from different departments and municipalities, all talking in a collaborative way,” George said. “We’ve got departments from all over the country actively participating in something to help the job, for good, overall.”
Advances in drone technology now make it possible to mount hazardous materials air-monitoring equipment, which was once too bulky to carry, directly onto a drone.
“Instead of sending someone into an unknown environment, you can now send the drone in, get those air readings, and keep the first responder from having to go in canary-in-the-coal-mine style,” Smith said.
The IAFF secured grant funding for the training through its long-standing partnership with the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS).
“You can use drones to reduce exposure to firefighters and other emergency responders and use them as a surveillance mechanism to make sure all the necessary precautions are in place before firefighters go in,” said Sharon D. Beard, director of the NIEHS Worker Training Program. Beard took part in the training week, attending presentations and observing hands-on exercises completed by HazMat instructors.
For instructors such as Brandon Leonard, a member of Milwaukee Professional Firefighters Association Local 215, the technology could help address a key challenge at complex emergency scenes: getting critical information to everyone who needs it.
“Communication is one of the hardest parts of this job — getting information out to everyone on scene,” Leonard said.
A drone’s camera can capture close-up images of a container, hazard placard, or scene condition and share that view with the response team, giving crews faster access to information that can shape tactical decisions.
George said drone technology could make future HazMat responses faster, more methodical, and safer for firefighters operating in high-risk environments.
A 22-year veteran of the fire service, George said he knows the urgency that follows a Mayday call over the radio and the need to quickly understand who is in danger and what conditions crews are facing.
“I see the drone as a tool to help mitigate those situations,” George said.
Drones equipped with thermal cameras can detect heat sources and alert crews to possible hazards before firefighters encounter them directly.
“For my team on the inside, I’m giving them a heads up — because maybe they’re not aware of the danger,” George said. “It’s helping ensure safety for everyone.”
