The district of Potsdam-Mittelmark is breaking new ground in the field of fire and disaster control by integrating a fully automatic flying drone system into active firefighting services for the first time in Germany. The innovative technology was officially handed over at the Firefighting Technology Centre.

As part of a six-month field trial, the emergency services are working with Bosch Building Technologies to test the use of drones to provide situational awareness and critical information even before the fire brigade arrives. The drone provides real-time images of the spread of fire and extinguishing efforts, helping the incident commanders to coordinate their forces with precision. The technology also offers decisive advantages for search and rescue operations: Day and night, on land or on water, missing persons can be located via heat sources and even aids can be dropped.

The system meets the highest standards of robustness and safety: with a flight time of up to 40 minutes, a speed of 80 km/h and resistance to wind speeds of up to 80 km/h, the drone operates reliably under extreme conditions. Redundant systems, a parachute and secure data transmission ensure maximum safety, while a thermal camera, zoom and rangefinder provide precise operational support.

District Administrator Marko Köhler emphasises the strategic importance of the investment: ‘The technical support already provided in the rapid fight against the forest fire at the beginning of July has shown us that we are on the right track to ensuring the safety of the people in Potsdam-Mittelmark.’

The project has a nationwide signal effect: it demonstrates how modern technology can revolutionise the work of fire brigades, reduce damage, protect people and significantly reduce the risk to emergency services. Potsdam-Mittelmark is thus setting standards for the use of innovative drone technology in disaster control.