El Paso Fire Department drones will begin flying in April

It can take dozens of emergency workers to rescue hikers stuck or lost in the Franklin Mountains and other recreational areas, especially at night.

The El Paso Fire Department now has some high-tech help in the form of drones.

Cities across the nation have found benefits from using the high-flying cameras.

Fire Chief Mario D’Agostino gave City Council representatives an update on the training process during Tuesday’s meeting. The council previously allocated funding for two drones for the department.

The Fire Department plans to work with UTEP to develop standard operating procedures.

Pending Federal Aviation Administration authorization, field operations are expected to begin April.

The Fire Department plans to use the drones primarily for two types of incidents.

The Combined Search and Rescue team can use the drones to locate individuals hurt or stranded near mountain trails. Fire officials said the drones will give them the ability to find people quicker and keep rescue workers safe as well.

“Right now, when we go up to a search and rescue we set up groups and teams and they set up in grid patterns and they go out to look for an individual who might be lost. So, by doing that, you are taking time. You are taking a lot of resources — people hiking on the mountain. You are putting them in danger. The time frame it takes to thoroughly search a gridded area is extensive,” said D’Agostino.

And there’s another use for the drones in hazmat incidents.

Across the U.S., firefighters have also been using drones with thermal imaging in building fires to detect if individuals are trapped inside. Drones have even been used for water rescues.