A multi-agency drone training exercise was recently held at the St Athan Airfield in the Vale of Glamorgan.
The exercise was attended by Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service’s (MAWWFRS) Drone Team, the Wales Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Team, Gwent Police’s Drone Team, the National Police Air Service (NPAS) and the Coastguard Helicopter.
Crews from all agencies carried out joint theoretical and practical training sessions to ensure the airspace in Wales is as safe as possible and to allow joint operations at emergency incidents when needed.
Attending with the USAR Team was Cooper, the Search and Rescue Dog. Cooper can be deployed anywhere in Wales and the UK, which may require him to be transported by air to his deployment location. The training session enabled the USAR Team to simulate Cooper being deployed and to prepare him for travel in an air asset.
Training sessions such as this one allow the Remote Pilots of drones to offer relevant advice to Incident Commanders on the best asset to be deployed at an incident and to provide the information to the Incident Commander for them to make the appropriate tactical decisions at an incident.
