Utah drone searchers may have solved missing hiker’s disappearance at California national park

SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah-based nonprofit group that uses drones to seek missing people may have solved the mystery of what happened to a hiker who disappeared at Joshua Tree National Park more than a year ago.

Park officials announced on Saturday they had recovered human remains in the 49 Palms Oasis area of the park the previous day. That came after Western States Aerial Search, which is based in Salt Lake City, alerted them that images taken at the park indicated possible human remains. Continue

Do you have a story of drones coming to the rescue or assisting your agency? Please share in the comments.

Public Safety and Government - Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

Public Safety Agencies, such as Law Enforcement, are in the best position to deter, detect, and investigate unauthorized or unsafe UAS operations. While drones can serve as a useful tool, these agencies also have an important role in protecting the public from unsafe and unauthorized drone operations. This information will help law enforcement and public safety professionals understand safe drone operations and their authority.  Read more

FEMA Grant Requirements System, Small Unmanned Aircraft - 03OE-07-SUAS

Are you interested in applying for a Small UAS grant from FEMA for your Public Safety Agency, below are the complete instructions and requirement.

03OE-07-SUAS - System, Small Unmanned Aircraft

Description: 

A small unmanned aircraft system (sUAS) comprises an unmanned aircraft and the equipment necessary for the safe and efficient operation of that aircraft (see definitions below).  The system generally includes a fixed or rotary-wing (tethered or non-tethered) aircraft and a Ground Control Station (GCS).  sUAS must be operated in accordance with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations and statutory requirements.  Comprehensive sUAS guidance is available on the FAA’s website at https://www.faa.gov/uas/. 

Definitions (see 44 U.S.C. § 44801; 49 U.S.C. § 40101 note; 14 C.F.R. § 107.3 for these and other relevant definitions): 

• Small unmanned aircraft means an unmanned aircraft weighing less than 55 pounds on takeoff, including everything that is on board or otherwise attached to the aircraft.
• Small unmanned aircraft system (small UAS) means a small unmanned aircraft and its associated elements (including communication links and the components that control the small unmanned aircraft) that are required for the safe and efficient operation of the small unmanned aircraft in the national airspace system.
• Unmanned aircraft means an aircraft operated without the possibility of direct human intervention from within or on the aircraft.

See item 03OE-07-UPGD for accessories and upgrades.

Note: Previous item 03OE-07-RPVS has been replaced by 03OE-07-ROVL (for land vehicles), 03OE-07-UMVS (for maritime systems), and 03OE-07-SUAS (for aircraft systems).

Grant Notes: 

Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS)—also known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) or drones—are used across our Nation to support emergency incident situational awareness, to monitor and assess critical infrastructure, to provide disaster relief by transporting emergency medical supplies to remote locations, and to aid efforts to secure our borders.  However, UAS can also be used for malicious schemes by terrorists, criminal organizations (including transnational organizations), and lone actors with specific objectives.  Additional information on this subject is available on the Department of Homeland Security, Cyber and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) website at:  https://www.dhs.gov/uas-law-enforcement and https://www.dhs.gov/publication/uas-fact-sheets. 

This category allows for the purchase of special-purpose aviation equipment where: (a) such equipment will be utilized primarily for homeland security objectives and permissible program activities; and (b) the costs for operation and maintenance of such equipment will be paid from non-grant funds.  Allowable costs include the purchase of customary and specialized equipment necessary for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosive materials (CBRNE) prevention, response, and/or recovery.  Recipients must obtain a waiver from FEMA by consulting with their Program Analyst and providing a detailed justification for obligating funds in this category and receiving approval to obligate funds.  The detailed justification must:

1. Provide a complete description/specification(s) of the UAS to include, but not limited to, make, model, operating weight, and manufacturer's country of origin;

2. Include a line-item breakdown of cost(s) contained in the request (e.g., aircraft, cameras, sensors, monitors, accessories, etc.);

3. Explain the method used to determine cost reasonableness;

4. Provide the number of neighboring jurisdicsions and/or response agencies with similar shareable capabilities;

5. Justify the need for the UAS and how the requested platform best meets that need as compared to other options;

6. Explain how the requested UAS fits into the State/Urban Area's integrated operation plans;

7. Explain the types of terrorism prevention and incident response equipment with which the requested UAS will be outfitted;

8. Describe how this UAS will be used operationally and which response assets will be deployed using the requested aircraft;

9. Describe how this UAS will be utilized on a regular, non-emergency basis; and

10. Certify that you reviewed and understand the DHS Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Fact Sheets at https://www.dhs.gov/publication/uas-fact-sheets and DHS CISA, Chinese Manufactured Unmanned Aircraft Systems Industry Alert (updated and located on the Homeland Security Information Network (HSIN)).

Additionally, pursuant to the February 20, 2015, Presidential Memorandum titled Promoting Economic Competitiveness While Safeguarding Privacy, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, in Domestic Use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems, (https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2015/02/15/presidential-memorandum-promoting-economic-competitiveness-while-safegua) recipients and subrecipients of Federal funding for the purpose or use of UAS of their own operations are required to have in place policies and procedures to safeguard individuals’ privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties prior to expending such funds for the use of UAS.  Policies and procedures must conform to the Presidential Memorandum and be included with the waiver request submission.  This requirement applies to the jurisdiction that will purchase, take title to, or otherwise use the UAS equipment.

Licensing, registration fees, insurance, and all ongoing operational expenses are the responsibility of the recipient or the local units of government and are not allowable under this grant. 

FEMA Related Grant Programs: 

• State Homeland Security Program (SHSP)
• Urban Areas Security Initiative Program (UASI)
• Tribal Homeland Security Grant Program (THSGP)
• Port Security Grant Program (PSGP)
• Transit Security Grant Program (TSGP)
• Emergency Management Performance Grant Program (EMPG)
• Operation Stonegarden Program (OPSG)

Standardized Equipment List
For more information on operating considerations, mandatory and applicable standards, and training requirements, visit the Interagency Board’s Standardized Equipment List site. You may also access 03OE-07-SUAS directly here. Note: some equipment items on the Authorized Equipment List may not be listed on the Standardized Equipment List.

System Assessment and Validation for Emergency Responders
For market survey reports, visit the System Assessment and Validation for Emergency Responders site. To search for an equipment item, use the same Authorized Equipment List item number. Note: some equipment items may not have market survey reports.

Eye in the sky – the role of drones in oil spill management

Offshore Technology December 2, 2019

Having eyes on the ground, quickly, is essential to any effective disaster management plan. Having them in the air, however, looks set the be the next big thing in the offshore oil and gas industry. We consider the critical role drones can play in the minutes and hours after an oil spill.

An oil spill is a disaster – environmentally, commercially and in PR terms, not to mention the significant danger they can put offshore crew in. BP’s Deepwater Horizon in the Mexican Gulf in 2010, believed to be the worst ever recorded, spilt 210 million gallons of oil into the region over a period of several months. In more recent months, a spill of crude oil off the coast of Brazil has impacted thousands of miles of the country’s north-eastern coastline.

UAVs and what they might mean for the future of spill management

The best way to tackle such events is to respond quickly and effectively. However, doing so is a major challenge for oil companies and other responders. Can the latest technologies help?

Terra Drone believes it has proven they can. One of its subsidiaries, Terra Drone Angola, says it has successfully demonstrated how drones can be used as a surveillance and reconnaissance tool for oil spill incidents, speeding up the decision-making process in the event of a spill. During the oil spill response exercise conducted by a major oil and gas producer, an oil spill was simulated off the coast of West Africa to assess how drones or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can be used to quickly collect critical information to relay to responders.

“Environmentally friendly dye was released at the surface of the sea a few hundred meters from the nearest floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) platform using a surfer,” explains Terra Drone Angola’s operations director, Siva Keresnasami. The dye simulated an offshore spill with the aim of demonstrating how UAVs can support response measures.

“We wanted to promote the adoption of UAV technology as a tool to be used to enable effective management and monitoring of actual oil spill incidents,” Keresnasami continued.

An emergency response vessel was positioned a few hundred metres from the simulated spill, onboard was a trained team of UAV pilots operating an octocopter fitted with an RGB camera. Keresnasami says they anticipated one of the biggest challenges, the sun’s glare from the surface of the water, fitting the camera with a polarizing filter to reduce the effect.

What do UAVs have to offer in oil spill management?

The selection of UAV was critically important to the success of the project. The small and often crowded deck of a response vessel renders fixed wing drones unsuitable for this type of mission. Therefore, Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) UAVs are ideal for this type of scenario. Keresnasami adds UAVs equipped with Extended Visual Line of Sight (EVLOS) or Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) capabilities are best suited for this type of work.

EVLOS refers to an unmanned vehicle which can be operated at distance, extending beyond the line of sight of the pilot with so-called spotters relaying its flight information to the controller. BVLOS, an increasingly popular capability, enables flights to go even further. They are controlled by a pilot who is informed about their position, altitude, speed and direction by onboard instruments.

“The plan was to use software to track the flight path of the drone in real-time, while the UAV was used to fly the perimeter of the simulated spill area,” Keresnasami explains.

However, it’s not just the physical structure and onboard capability of a drone that is important: time in the air is critical too. Keresnasami says: “The longer the UAV can stay in the air, the better suited it will be for an oil spill response job. Oil spills can be spread over a large surface area and UAVs used in this application need to have the capacity to be in the air for more than an hour at least.”

During flight the UAV collects data, equipping responders with everything they need to make the right decisions. It can take photos, provide and record live video streams – helpful for post incident analysis – take thermal images, and provide the GPS coordinates necessary to target a response.

“Real-time transmission of videos and GPS coordinates can be incredibly helpful to identify the exact location of a spill so that other vessels with spill containment equipment – such as booms and dispersants – can be directed to the incident location,” Keresnasami says.

During the exercise, six flights were undertaken with the aim of locating and then sizing the spill. In the event of a real spill, this data would have been used to determine the most appropriate response. However, Keresnasami says there is much more UAVs can do: “Drones can also be used to assess the efficacy of spill containment efforts to see how well booms are containing the spill, or how well the dispersants are working to break down the oil sheen.”

The future of UAVs in the oil and gas industry

The use of drones in the oil and gas industry is not new, they have been used to conduct inspections and surveys for some time. However, as technology advances, their application will continue to grow. Keresnasami says he expects to see increased automation, increased onboard processing capabilities, greater integration of artificial intelligence and new payloads (sensors). He also believes there will be less need for human intervention as they become “smarter machines”.

In the simulated scenario, and others like it, just two operators are needed to provide up to 10 hours of flight a day, making the proposition even more attractive as it reduces logistical requirements and therefore costs.

“There is a small window of time where oil slicks and spills can be effectively dispersed,” he concludes. “They can take to the sky quickly to identify the location of the spill, saving a great amount of time.”

The oil and gas exploration community is always looking to reduce risk, but in the event of a spill, having an eye in the sky quickly is one way of managing a response and reducing the impact on the surrounding environment. The success of this simulation might very well herald a new age in emergency response.