Del. emergency personnel using drones to respond better

In Delaware first responders are  adding a new tool to their arsenal that they say can can help them respond to emergencies much faster, we're talking about drones.

"Right now the fire school has 3 instructors trained and several more in the process to get certified," says Tucker Dempsey, the Training Administrator at the Delaware State Fire school.

Delaware has given state agencies the green light to use drones, and the Delaware state fire school has been quick to jump on board.

Instructors at the school believe drones can help them respond better to everyday emergencies .

"It could be a search for somebody lost in the wilderness or out in the bay, it could be a hazardous materials incident or something when you need to get eyes on something without having to risk somebody's life to go and investigate," says Dempsey.

So far the Delaware State Fire School has used the drone once, two months ago they responded to a large fire at the former pickle plant in Felton.

First responders placed a thermal energy camera on the drone so they could easily pinpoint what direction the fire was moving and were able to extinguish it quicker.

"So we were able to get up in the air with our camera and we also have thermal visual camera and that would be able to give us a pretty good view of how far the extended the building," says Dempsey.

The Delaware state fire school's goal is tom eventually train emergency personnel such as EMS and firefighters to use these drones.