Published on May 18, 2023
HELENA, Mont. – The Helena Fire Department has a new life safety tool at its disposal thanks to a grant that was awarded to Montana’s six largest cities. Through a collaborative grant application, Helena Fire has a new $28,342 drone that can be deployed for several public safety related reasons.
The drone was received in April of 2023 and since then, seven different Fire Department staff have earned FAA training and licensing. The department plans to utilize the drone for Hazardous Materials incidents, searching for people stranded on the City’s Open Lands, and helping to analyze buildings during a fire, and more.
Steel City Drones, LLC manufactured the drone, which features a thermal imager, camera, and gas-radiation meter.