Underwater drone to assist crews in the Allegheny Valley during river emergencies

Emergency response crews in the Allegheny Valley have a new tool to scout the water during river incidents.

An underwater drone will assist crews in the Allegheny Valley Regional Emergency Management Agency, said Bruno Moretti, agency coordinator.

“It’s interesting,” Moretti said. “It’s a nice piece of equipment to have. It will cut down on diver time in the water.”

Moretti said the equipment connects to a 300-foot tethered rope. It is operated by a remote iPad and control panel. The drone can move in all directions and has the ability to take videos and photos.

“It’s pretty much the equivalent of a video game,” said Zach Wilhelm, deputy coordinator for the Allegheny Valley Regional Emergency Management Agency.

The drone connects to a grabber arm to pull up small items or evidence in the river, Moretti said. It also has a spotlight.

“On the emergency response side, it’s going to be very beneficial,” Wilhelm said. “The police and fire departments are often at the river.”

Other underwater drones

They aren’t the only crew in the region to use the technology.

Lower Kiski Swift Water Rescue has had an underwater drone for about a year. They’ve used it only once — but it was a success, according to Dana Gross, who serves as assistant marine commander.

“We deployed it to search for a car in Saltsburg,” Gross said. “Before we put it in the water, we used the sonar to mark any targets of interest and then sent the drone in.

“We ended up pulling that car out of the water.”

Gross said, in that incident, someone parked their vehicle near Loyalhanna Lake and forgot to put the parking brake on. The car rolled into the water.

The Lower Kiski drone, with sonar and gripper capabilities, was paid for through a grant from the Richard G. and Barbara A. Snyder General Charitable Trust.

The drone has enhanced search capabilities and reduced risks to divers.

“It’s another tool in the box,” Gross said. “It’s great to have.”

Recent incidents

Recent incidents have demonstrated the need and usefulness of such equipment. Crews recovered a body at the end of June in the Allegheny River near Springdale; a Shaler woman’s body was recovered in July in the river near Oakmont.

Moretti said his team can assist with the underwater drone wherever needed, but especially in the four communities in the regional emergency management agency: Springdale, Cheswick, Harmar and Springdale Township.

“All four of our communities have riverfront,” he said.

The drone won’t replace the need for a dive or scuba team, but it will assist, Wilhelm said. Challenges of the drone include navigating the river current and the Allegheny’s low visibility.

The drone, Chasing M2S Advanced, was fully funded by a donation from Springdale Energy.

“We do it to help,” Moretti said. “We do things to try to assist response and recovery. The more we get, the better off we are to handle different situations.”

Wilhelm also said the drone is “just another tool in the toolbox” when it comes to emergency response. He noted the importance of agencies staying up to date with technology, as the unpredictability of incidents grows.

“We have seen a lot of different incidents,” Wilhelm said. “We do a lot of different stuff, and it’s always expanding.”

Said Moretti: “There’s situations we come across that I would’ve never thought of.”