CJPS has been waiting for the right opportunity to test out the potential of our drone response team which is still in development. After receiving word of a garage fire, we decided it was the right opportunity and sprang into action. In the video below and in crisp 4K video, CJPS senior pilot Connor took off from Vinal Tech and flew to a safe altitude of 350 feet before responding to the fire. We remained a half mile away from the scene and were able to capture this clear video, arriving soon after the first on scene units. Although this video cuts short (we learned the memory card needs to be in the drone, not the controller), we remained onscene for about 15 minutes and watched operations until the flames were fully extinguished before returning to school. Nice job Middlefield FD knocking it down so quickly!

In the future, we hope to be able to assist the surrounding communities with calls such as missing persons, lost hikers, water rescues, and extended calls.