by TINTSWALO BALOYI
JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) -THE Kouga Local Municipality in the Eastern Cape of South Africa has launched what it hailed as the continent’s first drone-as-a-first-responder (DFR) programme.
The breakthrough, announced on Tuesday, is seen as a leap toward enhancing public safety and disaster management.
It cements Kouga’s reputation as a leader in public safety, complementing previous achievements like the panic application with video functionality for residents, body cameras for officers, and the establishment of the Incident Command Centre (ICC).
The municipality is the first in Africa to test such an innovative platform with features such as thermal imaging cameras, live video streaming and global positioning system (GPS) tracking.
Hattingh Bornman, Kouga Executive Mayor, said this programme was built on the municipality’s dedication to public safety and proactive disaster management.
“Previous initiatives, such as our highly regarded Fire and Rescue Services, Disaster Risk Reduction Programme, and Community Safety Partnership, have laid the foundation for this technological advancement,” the mayor said.
Bornman said with the integration of drones into emergency response capabilities, Kouga was enhancing existing programmes and setting a new benchmark for how technology could save lives.
“This step forms part of our continuous effort to provide exceptional services to our community,” Bornman added.
UrSafe is the brains behind the drone project.
Stuart Riddle, UrSafe Technologies Director, emphasised the impact of such technology in emergency operations and the DFR’s unique capabilities.
He said while drones and body cams were not new, the UrSafe initiative stood out by integrating personal safety, law enforcement enhancement and the ability to deploy drones as first responders under one patented technology umbrella.
“The DFR-programme envisions a mesh network of drones that can be operated remotely or autonomously, transmitting live imagery to the ICC to enable swift coordination of law enforcement and disaster management efforts,” Riddle explained.
– CAJ News