Since the beginning of the year, the Bonn fire department has been training firefighters in the use of drones. Two Yuneec H520 hexacopters were purchased and are to be used primarily for rescue operations on the Rhine and for reconnaissance in the wider city area. After the training phase, the drones will be used on the water rescue equipment vehicle at the fire station in Beuel and by the Holtorf firefighting unit of the volunteer fire department.

The drones can be equipped with a video camera and a thermal imaging camera. The thermal imaging camera has enormous added value when searching for people in water, in the forest or in rough terrain. It can also be used to detect embers in fires or people in areas that are difficult to access (backs of buildings, courtyards). In the event of forest and vegetation fires, large areas can be flown over in a short space of time and thus investigated. Drones can also be used for reconnaissance in hazardous goods operations and thus offer added value.