Teledyne FLIR debuts SIRAS Drone for search and rescue operations

by Featured NewsProducts

Teledyne FLIR, part of Teledyne Technologies Incorporated, has announced the launch of SIRAS, a professional drone that includes a quick-connect dual radiometric thermal and visible camera payload.

Engineered for data security, performance, and affordability, SIRAS is optimised for use in industrial and utility inspection, public safety, firefighting, and search and rescue missions.

The IP-54-rated aircraft features a 31-minute flight time, radar-based front collision avoidance, and backpack portability, so professional UAV pilots can fly safely when and where the mission demands. The included Vue TV128 payload features a quick-connect gimbal, which provides imagery compatible with FLIR Thermal Studio and leading third-party photogrammetry applications.

The drone’s 16 mega pixel visible camera can zoom 128x to pinpoint details ,whilst the integrated 640×512 pixel, radiometric Boson provides thermal imagery, 5x digital zoom, and temperature-measurement of every pixel in the scene.

Taking only one minute to start up, pilots can get eyes on the scene quickly and maintain control via a dual-band radio (2.4/5.8 GHz) connection, while hot swappable batteries ensure efficient operation.

To improve data security, SIRAS stores imagery on an onboard SD card and does not include cloud connection capability. Pilots are also not required to create an online profile, increasing ease of use and reducing potential unintended online data access. 

Mike Walters, vice president, product management, Teledyne FLIR, said: “Designed to provide pilots with flexibility to get the job done, SIRAS delivers a geofence-free flight experience with thermal and visible imaging capabilities at $9,695 USD.

The SIRAS aircraft was designed in collaboration with and is manufactured by Coretronic Intelligent Robotics Corporation (CIRC) in Taiwan, a subsidiary of Coretronic Group. Final payload integration and quality control are completed in the USA. 

“SIRAS is the only enterprise drone to currently incorporate the patented MSX technology, which overlays the edge detail from the visible camera on the thermal image to provide critical information in real time.” 

SIRAS will begin shipping in the fourth quarter of 2022 in the US with additional regional availability information provided at www.teledyneflir.com/siras.  SIRAS is dual use and classified under US Department of Commerce jurisdiction as EAR 6A003.b.4.a.

Winner of the IAFC’s Ben Franklin Award for Valor announced

by Featured NewsPeople

The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and Motorola Solutions have announced Captain Michael Kaake, Lieutenant Kris Prosser and firefighter paramedic Tyler Abbatiello as the recipients of the 2022 IAFC Ben Franklin Award for Valor.

Nominated for their swift water rescue in the Whitewater River, judges said the members of the Colerain Township Department of Fire and EMS in Ohio exhibited incredible bravery, perseverance and commitment to public safety. 

Chief Ken Stuebing, president and board chair, IAFC, said: “Our Ben Franklin Award for Valor, named for the nation’s first fire chief, Benjamin Franklin, is our association’s most prestigious honour. It recognizes firefighters worldwide for their expert training, leadership, heroic actions and safe practices. We thank this year’s very deserving recipients for their courage.”

Chris Lonnett, vice president, Motorola Solutions, said: “It is an honour to present this award to the heroes from Colerain Township Department of Fire and EMS. Your commitment to training and conditioning prepared you to act quickly and make steadfast decisions in the face of extreme danger and pressure. On behalf of Motorola Solutions, the IAFC and the communities you serve, thank you for your bravery. Because of you, a life was saved, and a man was able to return home to his loved ones.” 

The rescue operation

The Whitewater River is one of three major tributaries that empty into the Ohio River within the greater Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio area. It is used extensively for a variety of recreational activities. On July 24, 2021, previous flooding, newly fallen trees and powerful, swirling currents made for dangerous conditions. The Hamilton County Communications Center (HCCC) received a 911 call from a kayaker informing dispatch that a companion had overturned his kayak. 

The HCCC dispatched Whitewater Township Fire Department and additional water rescue elements, among them the Colerain Township Department of Fire and EMS’s Rescue 26 and Boat 26, as well as the Cincinnati Fire Department’s Rescue 14 and Boat 14. Colerain’s Boat 26 launched first, with the crew of Kaake, Prosser and Abbatiello. They found the overturned kayaker near the confluence with the Ohio River, where he was struggling to stay afloat and continuously being swept under by currents and undertow.

Prosser was able to move the boat within several yards of the kayaker. Kaake and Abbatiello swam to him and were able to secure a personal flotation device and anchor it to an overhanging tree. For several minutes they held onto the kayaker and kept him from being pinned against a growing pile of debris while they awaited additional support from Cincinnati’s Boat 14. The boat was able to get into a position that allowed rescuers to pull the victim onboard and take him safely to shore.

Medals of Honour were presented to Kaake, Prosser and Abbatiello on Aug. 25 at Fire-Rescue International in San Antonio, TX.

Survitec selected as preferred supplier by UK public sector

by Featured NewsProductsVehicles

The Yorkshire Purchasing Organisation (YPO) – the UK’s largest public sector purchasing consortium, has granted preferred supplier status to Survitec for its survival technology.

UK-headquartered Survitec, supplier of Survival Technology to the global maritime, defence, and government, energy and aerospace and maritime sectors, has been placed on the YPO’s Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) for the provision of public sector emergency response and rescue equipment.

Ordering a YPO-approved product through the Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) avoids a lengthy tendering process, allowing procurement officials to streamline supply and benefit from cost and administrative efficiencies.

More than 100 different products from the Survitec portfolio have been approved for use by the country’s ambulance, fire, police, search and rescue, and environmental services teams.

The Survival Technology scope of supply includes protective clothing and footwear, lifejackets, liferafts and new innovative dry suits, inflatable lifeboats and fast rescue craft, ropes and safety harnesses and leading-edge protection, fire hoses and pumps, lighting systems alongside flares, pop-up shelters, rescue tools and cutting equipment.

Martin Whittaker, CEO of Survitec’s Aerospace & Defence business, said: “This is a significant development for Survitec. After a rigorous selection process, we are delighted YPO has approved our Survival Technology for use across the UK’s public sector services. We are immensely proud as a UK-based manufacturer we are able to support the country’s first responders using the national supply chain.”

He explained: “It is completely different from a traditional framework agreement in that the DPS is an electronic procurement process. It provides customers with an audit trail and simplifies contract management.”

Mandy Easter, Survitec’s UK Business Development Manager, said: “Communication from our emergency service customers reveal they have been waiting for the DPS to come through so they can commence placing orders for Survival Technology through the system.”

“We underwent a rigorous process to achieve approval as a DPS supplier. This process provides an independent endorsement of the quality of our products and services for purchasers.”