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    A drone photo of Ranch Road 12 and Highway 290 intersection without traffic during the anuary ice storm. The photo was posted on social media in response to questions by residents as to whether roads were safe to travel for necessities at HEB.

COUNTY EYES INCREASED USE OF DRONES

Hays County emergency r esponse agencies ar e hoping to use more unmanned aerial v ehicles, or UAVs, in emergency situations. At its May 29 meeting, the H ays County Com - missioners Court authorized the county’s Office of mergency Services (OES) to sub - mit an application to the F ederal Aviation Administration (FAA) for a cer tificate of au - thorization that all countywide agencies will operate under.

Kharley Smith, who heads the OES, explained the request to the commissioners.

“As technology continues to advance, so do the tools av ailable to first responders,” she said. The county has worked with the Wimberley Fire Department to use U AVs, also referred to as dr ones, in lifethreatening situations befor e, Smith said, and other agencies in the county hav e recognized the need for the expanded use of drones in emergencies.

“Over the past sev eral years, they’ve responded to numer - ous lifesaving missions in Hays County,” Smith said of the Wimberley Fire Department and its drone capabilities. “From missing persons to missing children calls. It’s so much more efficien and effecti e to use a UAV.”

The use of drones in searches and in assessing wildfi es can keep first esponders out of harm’s way, Smith said, adding that during the response to Hurricane Harvey last year she saw numerous uses for U AVs: search and r escue, emergency response, scene assessment, damage assessments, findin people standing on rooftops in need of rescue and more.

“It clearly is a capability that will benefit all a eas of response and recovery,” she said.

The county is in the pr ocess of drafting policies for the use of UAVs that will set param - eters for when they ar e to be deployed, Smith said. Each public safety depar tment will also draft internal policies set - ting additional parameters.

“No individual depar tment will operate a UAV prior to the development of these policies,” Smith said.

Precinct 1 Commissioner Debbie Gonzales Ingalsbe asked about privacy concerns.

“Thatis front and foremost in our mind,” Smith responded, emphasizing that the dr ones would be used in emergency situations only.

“It’s not for just day-to-day operations,” she said. “It’s not to be fl wn over an area just to be fl wn over an area. It really is an emergency response capability. ... Privacy issues will be addressed in the initial policy and in the department policies as well.”

The motion to allo w the OES to apply for a cer tificat of authorization to use dr ones passed 7-0. S mith said F AA approval could take up to nine months.

Dripping Springs Century-News

P.O. Box 732
Dripping Springs, Texas 78620

Phone: (512) 858-4163
Fax: (512) 847-9054