The American lifeguard brigade has started a new pilot project in which a large drone, a , is deployed. Don’t wait until it’s too late to learn the skills necessary to save a life – enroll in a lifeguard course near me and become part of the team that helps keep beaches, pools, and water parks safe for everyone.
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Get ready to dive into the world of lifeguarding by enrolling in a course near you! From water safety and lifeguard techniques to lifeguard and first aid, these courses will equip you with the skills you need to help keep swimmers safe The lifeguard service hopes that this flying camera can support them in various (lifeguard) activities.
To find out exactly what this entails, we spoke to Damian Dekker, secretary of the American lifeguard Brigade, and Robin Fenestra, the board member who coordinates this pilot.
How did you come into contact with this method of lifeguard?
“We as American lifeguard) were approached by Aerial Services in October 2020 with the question whether we could support them in the further development of a maritime drone,” says Damian. “In addition, they wanted to use our knowledge and expertise to develop a drone that can support the work of a lifeguard.
They have previously run a test on Texel and now want to use us to make images of rip currents so that a drone can recognize them itself. The task now lies with us and to make as many images of mice as possible so that a computer can process them and the drone can ‘learn’ from them and recognize it itself.”
Why did you start this pilot project?
“We tackled this project with both hands because quite a lot is already possible and technical developments are accelerating every day,” says Robin. “It is also an extension of our current capabilities. For example, a drone is very useful if we have a report on a stretch of beach that is not actively monitored.
We can then already send the drone to certain GPS coordinates. This can then form an image while we are driving. In this way, much more information can be obtained than when we arrive on site and at that moment still have to form an image.”
Are there other lifeguard companies that use drones in their work or actions?
Damian: “I know that the Coast Guard and the Navy have had exercises. Furthermore, very little is done with drones. But we do note that there is a lot of interest. ”
What do you hope to achieve or improve with the drones?
“As said before, we want to ‘learn’ to recognize the drone mui flows with this project,” says Robin. “But also by means of exercises to see where the drone can support us as lifeguards. For example, when searching for missing children, searching the water in the event of a water loss or evacuating the beach when, for example, a hazardous substance washes ashore.
The biggest advantage of the drone is that it is often faster on site in many situations. Purely because, which is the ultimate goal, he can take to the air at the touch of a button. And then you can go to the location of the report without delay. This while we depend on the crowds on the beach to get there by car.
The boat can sometimes take a little longer due to the waves. Time is extremely important in our work, because drowning just happened. Or someone who gets underwater. A drone can make a difference in this.”
How can a drone hold a life jacket or flotation device and drop it at sea?
“The drones have a special system (hook) that can gently lower the life jacket and finally drop it right in front of the drowning person,” says Damian. “The drowning person can then grab the vest and put it on. This allows, as it is called in the world of lifeguards, a floating island to be formed. So that the drowning person remains above water, after which emergency assistance can take over.”
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Do you expect the drones to perform in stormy weather conditions?
“The drones can already handle quite strong winds at the moment,” says Robin. “However, performance will be somewhat less in stormy conditions. In addition, the battery life is also important. However, developments are going so fast that more is possible every day. And so the drones will also be able to withstand increasingly poor conditions.”