Thanks to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval, the Danbury Fire Department in Connecticut is now able to put its recently acquired drone in the air at night.
According to a Facebook post from the Danbury Fire Department, the first responders recently purchased a DJI Matrice 210 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), along with both FLIR infrared and 4K cameras.
Under its Part 107 rulemaking for commercial UAV operations, the FAA has issued a waiver to the Danbury Fire Department to conduct flights at night, thus putting the FLIR thermal camera to good use.
A local report from News12 Connecticut says the $20,000 technology was purchased thanks to an anonymous donor. Located near Danbury Municipal Airport, the department has also secured approval from airport authorities, the report notes.
The fire department adds on Facebook that it recently conducted training with Fire Tech and Safety of New England Inc. The department anticipates the UAV “will become a valuable tool for [the] city’s first responders.”
