11 Innovative Ways Drone Services Improve Fire Investigations

You may have heard of using drone technology for visually stunning displays like an after-hours light show in Disney World or some kind of digital walk-through for urban exploration. While these are innovative and fun ways to make use of flying tech, there are many other applications.

At Dreiym Engineering, we are frequently brought into legal and insurance cases due to our many years of experience managing fire investigations and forensic engineering. We use drone technology to ensure the safety of crew members, point out potentially risky areas of a structure, and investigate the origin of all kinds of dangerous incidents.

We are usually called in before or long after a fire, but we wanted to expand our list of ways you can expect to see drones used in fire situations to point out the wide versatility of this groundbreaking tool.

#1 – Identifying Burn Patterns

First and foremost, the more people walking around a fire scene, the harder it is to determine factual evidence. A drone offers high-resolution cameras and unique aerial perspectives that make it much easier to determine the burn patterns in a structure.

Burn patterns are crucial to an investigation. They tell a story about the behavior of the fire and how it spread. We use that data to document a scene and offer insight to other investigators, insurance providers, and law enforcement agents.

#2 – Determining the Origin of a Fire

A natural fire is actually pretty rare. Heavy storms, old wiring, arc flashes, and human error tend to be the primary culprits of a fire. Then, there are the occasional insurance fraud cases and criminal intent arson.

In all these situations, knowing where the fire started is essential to determining fault. While physical access helps analyze any flammable materials or accelerants, having an aerial perspective gives us faster access to a scene before the fire department provides us with the walk-through go-ahead.

#3 – Providing Aerial Surveillance

Not all fires are over by the time we arrive. In some rare cases, we are called in while a fire is actively being put out. While our experienced engineers are far from danger, we can use drones to monitor the situation in real-time.

We cannot emphasize enough what a bird’s eye view does for analysis. You can see where the damage is flowing, how the fire is spreading, and more accurately generate a report that is used down the road.

#4 – Detecting Potential Hotspots

When a fire is put out, smoldering hotspots could still happen underground, in walls, and around facility infrastructure. A drone equipped with thermal camera technology can determine any areas of extreme heat or cold.

Not only does this help with post-fire assessments, but such visualization helps with pre-incident protection. Being able to see hotspots in your electrical or structural integrity allows maintenance to address an issue before it turns into a fire.

#5 – Locating Trapped Individuals

Again, we are not a rescue service but an engineering firm. However, we have heard of many cases in and around Texas where drones helped find people trapped in burning buildings or flooding spaces.

A drone can detect human heat signatures with the right equipment. Even in smoky or low-visibility situations, you can leverage drones to find people, pets, and other organic resources for rescue.

#6 – Providing Overhead Video & Infrared Imagery

Dreiym Engineering is frequently tasked by law enforcement, legal agencies, and insurance companies to document an entire scene. Having drones on hand allows us to take immersive video documentation of a scene.

With the addition of infrared imagery, we can also point out hidden dangers like a gas leak or heat sources. So, for example, if an insurance company is looking to determine the potential risk of protecting an industrial site, we offer insight into what needs to be addressed before coverage is approved.

#7 – Creating 2D Diagrams or 3D Point Clouds

Drones can also help with modeling. While we do have the power of 3D Space Capture technology, drones give us a greater viewpoint for 2D diagrams and 3D point clouds that can be used to determine and recreate a scene.

Failure Analysis and Fire Investigations all require court findings. Our advanced software and drone tools help investigations and stakeholders determine fault so financial compensation can be ironed out.

#8 – Boosting Firefighting Operations

Drones are crucial for modern firefighting. Any tool that reduces the risk of human life to the victims or the brave men and women who fight fires is advantageous. We have seen fire departments use drones for a wide range of applications like:

• Locating breaches in containment
• Delivering water or fire retardants to inaccessible areas
• Detect hazardous materials
• Conducting building inspections
• Search and recovery missions
• Assessing structural integrity
• And more

#9 – Reaching Restrictive Spaces

A fantastic advantage of drone technology for fire investigations is the ability of the device to get to areas regular humans would not be able to access. Due to size constraints or hazardous materials, restricted spaces can suddenly be documented and viewed in real time to eliminate personal risk.

You can think of this in both pre- and post-scenario. Drones can be easily deployed to inspect areas likely prone to fire. The more you can identify risks, like electrical and corrosion engineering, the better you protect structures, assets, and human life.

#10 – Improving Data Accuracy

Drones can be equipped with a wide range of equipment to boost data accuracy. Lasers, video capabilities, and even audio resources help analyze and detail a scene. The more accurate the measurements and documentation, the greater the opportunity for our engineering team to recreate a scene.

Fire investigations are all about expert opinion and factual statements. We want to provide all our clients with the surety of detailed analyses that are held up in court. That is why we have such a long list of return and referral clients around Texas – because of our accuracy.

#11 – Boosting Collaboration with Real-Time Access

Nothing is more critical in a fire investigation than collaboration. Being able to work with fire teams, insurance agents, homeowners, property managers, and more using real-time visualizations is crucial to our work.

A drone provides live footage that can be shared with all interested parties. That instant communication streamlines so many operations and enhances the ability of our fire investigations and forensic engineering efforts to get to the root of the issue.

Final Thoughts

The more we see drones used in active fires and our fire investigations, the more we can say with 100% certainty that they are crucial to the future of such activities. Drones offer communication, data, and visualization that boost our ability to document a scene and determine how the flames will travel or where the fire originated.

For decades, our team at Dreiym Engineering has provided courts, insurance companies, and business leaders with detailed reporting and analyses of fire damage. We look at everything from legacy electrical systems to cathodic protection failure and manmade fire incidents. Having drones on our side as an available tool improves our ability to serve our clients in all matters concerning fire investigations.

To learn more about how our forensic engineering at Dreiym can help, reach out and speak with our agents today. We are happy to discuss our methodologies and answer any questions you may have about hiring our drone service for fires or any other purpose.