The City of Lethbridge’s, Alberta, Canada firefighter and water rescue team has added a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) to its fleet to assist first responders during recovery missions.
The DTG3, from submersible robotics firm Deep Trekker, can be used for diver assistance to victim searching and locating.
“It definitely suits our department,” said Brendon Pyne, firefighter and rescue team member for the City of Lethbridge. “We feel that it will make our missions faster and help us know where to look for victims.”
The first step in recovery is to research potential locations based on witness statements. Water conditions can vary widely in these circumstances, and the team said it is important that divers stay safe throughout the search and recovery process.
With the use of an ROV, the vehicle can be put in the water first to ensure the safety of any divers.
“We can send the ROV into hazardous water that we don’t want to send our divers into first. We survey the bottom of lakes and rivers to ensure that there are no entanglements for them,” explained Pyne.
Submersible ROVs are also used to locate underwater targets. By using the robot, teams can save time and money by only putting divers into the water when absolutely necessary.
“If we find a victim with the ROV, we hold onto the victim with the grabber arm and potentially bring them up with the vehicle or send a diver down the line to retrieve them,” added Pyne. “With the grabber arm, it is very useful.”
Furthermore, the ROV’s camera is designed to be reliable and precise even when working in varying conditions and turbid water making the system “perfect for search and recovery teams.”
