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Public Safety
Harrison County’s underwater drones provide undeniable asset to fire department and neighboring agencies By NICHOLETTE CARLSON | The Municipal
Harrison County Fire Department in Mississippi is a community surrounded by water, and as Fire Chief Pat Sullivan stated, “We’ve been in the business of search and rescue forever.” Dedicated to the safety of both the community and its first responders, Sullivan added, “We always looked for technology to give us an advantage.” When involved in a drowning, vehicle in the water or a weapon search in the water, dive teams are necessary for the search. However, in scenarios with limited visibility or swift waters, search can be challenging for the dive teams. This led the department to look into Deep Trekker remotely operated vehicles to assist dive teams. These first underwater drones were smaller and included a camera system, lights and a gripper to search an area remotely. With these ROVs, the fire department could search with the camera and use the gripper to attach to whatever they found down there, including a weapon or even a body. “We started using that and had success with that,” Sullivan noted. However, this smaller model had difficulty staying in one place during swift currents. Therefore, the department switched to a larger model, the Revolution; it is better for deeper and swifter waters. These underwater drones are an incredibly important asset to the community during tragedies. For instance, if there is a drowning and the department knows it will be a recovery mission, not a rescue, they want to recover the body as quickly as possible for the family and not be searching for hours or even days. “It’s safer for personnel and reduces the suffering a family has waiting,” he emphasized. With the ROV, the department can get down into the water when a diver might have a challenge getting in. When the water gets cold, it reduces the time a diver can stay in the water. The last thing the department wants is for a tragedy to turn worse by putting a diver in danger. While a diver is limited in the time they can spend underwater due to temperature, time and oxygen tanks, an ROV can easily go down and search an area regardless of these factors for four to five hours. Regardless of the situation, a ROV can provide reconnaissance of the sea bed floor and subsurface before a diver goes down so they can better manage expectations of the situation. The department can review the situation and see what the conditions and hazards are. Plans can then be altered depending on the riskiness of the situation. If water is contaminated, the department cannot send a diver into it; however, the ROV can go down and assess the situation. The ROV also assists the department in monitoring the diver when they are underwater and provides voice communication with them. 50 THE MUNICIPAL | JANUARY 2022
Underwater ROVs come equipped with a camera system, lights and a gripper. Due to the swifter currents, the department upgraded to a larger ROV, the Revolution. They can work underwater in conditions that would be unsafe for a dive team. (Photo provided by the Harrison County Fire Department)
In specific situations, the ROV can assist in a plane crash. With pieces of the plane breaking off underwater, it can be dangerous for a diver to enter the water. While this is not a common situation, Sullivan admits it has proven helpful in a few instances. When there is a drowning, the ROV can bring up a body, depending on the size. However, in most instances, the ROV will locate the body, and the diver will follow the drone underwater, making it safer for the diver and making the diver’s time underwater significantly shorter. In the Harrison County Fire Department, there are currently three ROV operators. They team up with law enforcement, other area dive teams and the Department of Natural Resources to work missions and accidents. Currently, Sullivan stated Harrison County is the only one with their specific ROVs in the three coastal counties. As such, they receive many calls from neighboring agencies for assistance.
