Drone Program
sUAS OperationsA small Unmanned Aircraft System program that brings faster, more reliable information to incident commanders across the department's 30 square miles.
About the Drone Program
The Chesterfield Township Fire Department has established a small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS) program to support its operations. It improves situational awareness, search, rescue, and command and control by bringing faster, more reliable information to incident commanders during emergencies and planned events.
The program supports wildland fire operations, natural disaster damage assessment, hazardous materials incidents, search and rescue, training, fire investigation, fire prevention, and requests from mutual aid partners. With about 30 square miles protected by the department, drone operations improve both safety and operational proficiency.
In 2025 the department replaced its seven-year-old drone with an American-made Skydio X10, which carries a high-resolution thermal imaging camera, obstacle avoidance, a spotlight and a loudspeaker for talking with people on the ground. The department has 12 FAA-certified drone pilots, and the drone also assists the police department.
Responsibilities
- Provide aerial situational awareness to incident commanders
- Support search and rescue operations
- Assess damage after natural disasters
- Support hazardous materials incidents, fire investigation and fire prevention
- Respond to requests from mutual aid partners