The Sioux County Sheriff’s Office in Iowa recently sent its Drone Response Team to assist with investigating an elevator explosion.
On Friday, June 14, at 10:41 a.m., the drone team joined the Sheldon Fire Department, Sheldon Emergency Management and O’Brien County Emergency Management at the location of an explosion that occurred at the Sheldon Cooperative Elevator in Sheldon, Iowa.
The team’s job was to locate any hotspots that may have been present following the explosion, as well as observe the premises for any further structural damage. According to a local report from nwestiowa.com, this enabled employees to be comfortable enough to enter the structure for manual inspection.
“This was a good opportunity for us to deploy the drone to assist local emergency responders,” states Nate Huizenga, Sioux County’s emergency management director. “This capability allows, in potentially life‐threatening situations, the ability to observe from a safe distance without putting people at risk of injury.”
