The St. Louis Fire Department is evaluating four Skydio drones as a way to give commanders aerial information before firefighters reach an emergency scene. The department has used the aircraft for about a week and is conducting a 30-day evaluation to determine whether they should become part of its long-term operations, Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson said, according to First Alert 4.
A drone was sent over a house fire in north St. Louis on Thursday morning, providing commanders with an aerial view before crews arrived. Jenkerson said the advance information is intended to help command staff judge the conditions firefighters may face, including whether a building’s roof and walls remain intact.
Live video and thermal imaging for commanders
The department acquired the drones from Skydio. Jenkerson said the aircraft can deploy automatically based on incidents around the city, although the department’s current evaluation process still requires pilots to decide manually which calls warrant a launch.
When a drone takes off, Battalion chiefs, deputy chiefs and Jenkerson receive a link to its video. The aircraft generally reaches the scene before fire trucks and hovers over the incident, giving commanders an initial aerial assessment while crews are still en route.
- Four certified department pilots can take control and move a drone as an incident develops.
- Jenkerson can switch from his phone to forward-looking infrared, or thermal imaging.
- The thermal view shows heat coming from a building and can help identify which area is affected.
- Commanders can also zoom the view in or out while assessing the scene.
“It’s an incredible tool.”
Jenkerson made that assessment after the department used a drone following a report that a person had jumped from a downtown bridge. The aircraft scanned the area, while thermal imaging helped crews determine where the person was.
Early deployments include fires and searches
The department also used a drone at the north St. Louis house fire. Thermal footage shared by the department showed firefighters staged outside the structure and areas where heat was coming from the building. The imagery gave commanders another way to assess the conditions before deciding what resources and personnel to send into the scene.
Jenkerson described the aircraft as an additional safety tool for both firefighters and members of the public. The evaluation will determine how the department uses the drones beyond the initial trial, including whether the aircraft become part of its regular emergency-response operations. The department has not announced a long-term adoption decision.
“It’s just another tool that we could use to protect our firefighters and to protect our citizens too.”
Jenkerson said the department’s current approach combines automated deployment capabilities with human pilot control. That arrangement allows commanders to receive early video and thermal information while certified personnel retain the ability to guide the aircraft as the incident changes.
