Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (Drone)

Table of Contents

Introduction........................................................................................................................31 Terminology...........................................................................................................31.1 Other Drone Related Acronyms..............................................................................32 Capabilities............................................................................................................32.1 Wind........................................................................................................................33 Incident types........................................................................................................44 Cordons.................................................................................................................45 Organisation and responsibilities.......................................................................46 Operational roles...................................................................................................46.1 Chief pilot................................................................................................................46.2 Pilot.........................................................................................................................56.3 Co-Pilot / observer...................................................................................................67 Operations manual................................................................................................67.1 Collision avoidance.................................................................................................68 Data protection & privacy.....................................................................................79 Training..................................................................................................................79.1 Initial Training..........................................................................................................79.2 Pilot Continuous Professional Development...........................................................89.3 Training Records.....................................................................................................810 Mobilising..............................................................................................................910.1 Requesting RPAS...................................................................................................911 Flight planning......................................................................................................911.1 Airspace..................................................................................................................911.2 Danger areas and HIRTAs......................................................................................911.3 Prohibited Areas....................................................................................................1011.4 Controlled Airspace, Aerodromes and Airports.....................................................1011.5 Restricted Areas....................................................................................................1011.6 Military Aerodrome Traffic Zones..........................................................................1012 Site survey...........................................................................................................1013 Risk assessment.................................................................................................1113.1 Incident Hazards...................................................................................................1113.2 Site Hazards..........................................................................................................1113.3 Access and Egress Hazards.................................................................................1113.4 Work Activity Hazards...........................................................................................1113.5 Environmental Conditions.....................................................................................1114 Imagery.................................................................................................................1114.1 Live Images...........................................................................................................1114.2 Stored Photographs..............................................................................................1214.3 Stored Video..........................................................................................................1214.4 Data Protection and Privacy..................................................................................1215 References...........................................................................................................1216 Appendix 1Aerial Work Site Surveys................................................................13Pre-planned Operations,...............................................................................................13Pre-planned Survey,......................................................................................................13On-Site Survey...............................................................................................................13

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1 Introduction

WYFRS are now in possession of two Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), commonly reffered to as Drones. Theses are the DJI Inspire 1 and the DJI Matrice 210. Each unit is semi-autonomous and able to record images and video to an SD card situated within the camera whilst also live streaming a video feed to the Pilot and Co-Pilot located on the ground.

The Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV’s) are remotely flown drones which can be used to inform the decision making process of the Incident Commander during operations by giving them and aerial overview of the incident.

2 Terminology

2.1 Other Drone Related Acronyms

ANO - Air Navigation Order ATC - Air Traffic Control CAA - Civil Aviation Authority EVLOS - Extended Visual Line of Sight FRS - Fire and Rescue Service GPS - Global Positioning System HIRTA - High Intensity Radio Transmission Areas NPAS - National Police Air Service RPAS - Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (Used By WYFRS) SUAS - Small Unmanned Aerial Systems UAV - Unmanned Aerial Vehicle VLOS - Visual Line of Sight

3 Capabilities

3.1 DJI Matrice 210 Capabilities

Endurance: Up to 38 mins flight time per battery pair dependant on activity, payload, weather conditions and battery type (TB50/TB55)

Wind tolerance:12 m/s (26mph) Temperature range: -20°c to +45°c VLOS: 500m, EVLOS: Up to 1,000m Altitude: 120m, (400ft) for CAA regulations Continuous operation is achievable by using all 6 battery pairs and the “fast

charge” DJI Battery Station for TB50 batteries (subject to mains power availability via the Command Unit / Command Unit Lite)

30x Optical Zoom capabilities using the Zenmuse Z30 camera Thermal Imaging capabilities using the Zenmuse XT2 thermal camera by FLIR SD Card for recording video and images

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Deployment 24/7 (Subject to flying conditions)

3.2 DJI Inspire 1 Capabilities

Endurance: Up to 18 mins flight time per battery dependant on activity and weather conditions.

Wind tolerance:10 m/s (22mph) Temperature range: -10°c to +40°c VLOS: 500m, EVLOS: Up to 1,000m Altitude: 120m, (400ft) for CAA regulations Maximum continuous operating time 72mins (using 4 batteries) SD Card for recording video and images Deployment 24/7 (Subject to flying conditions including lighting conditions)

3.3 Wind

The DJI Matrice 210 may be flown in wind speeds of up to 12m/s (26mph).The DJI Inspire may be flown in wind speeds of up 10m/s (22mph). As part of the pre-flight checks the drone operator will record current weather conditions at the incident ground. A request for weather information and wind speeds for the incident can be requested from control at the time of mobilising, and any time after mobilisation. Control will relay the weather conditions and the forecast for the next 3 hours to the Pilot.

3.4 Precipitation

The DJI Matrice 210 has an Ingress Protection rating of IP43 and is therefore ‘Protected against sprays of water up to 60 degrees from the vertical. Limited ingress protection.’ As a result it can be flown in certain flying conditions where there is precipitation should the pilot deem it safe to do so.

The DJI Inspire 1 and the Zenmuse Z3 camera are not IP rated and cannot be flown in precipitation.

Item Type IP RatingDJI Matrice 210 Drone (IP43)Zenmuse Z30 Camera (Not IP rated)Zenmuse XT2 Camera (IP44)DJI Inspire 1 Drone (Not IP rated)Zenmuse Z3 Camera (Not IP rated)

4 Incident types

The drone will be deployed to emergencies where there is risk to people (including emergency responders), property or the environment. The equipment could be used in

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the following situations (which have been declared to the CAA);

Fires Road traffic collisions Floods Collapsed structures Wildfires Incidents involving hazardous materials Rescues from height, water, trenches etc. Missing Persons Animal rescues Post incident investigations Training exercises Assessing key sites for hazards and risks

Requests for the drone can be made for any incident type if the IC feels it appropriate. The drone operators on duty will be notified of all incidents of 4 appliances, and automatically mobilised to all incidents of 5+ appliances.

5 Cordons

All responder resources will be located between the inner and outer cordons subject to suitability of the take-off area. Should there be no suitable take-off area between the inner and outer cordons then the Drone team may establish their own cordon outside of the outer cordon. The intended flight area for the drone will primarily be above and within the outer cordon. This concept of flying inside a cordon affords the drone pilots a greater degree of safety for flights.

6 Organisation and responsibilities

The UAV is organised to ensure it complies with CAA standards. The following designations and responsibilities have been declared to the CAA (Note the use of SUAS and not Drone for CAA purposes);

The Accountable Manager / Operations Support Area Manager is ultimately responsible for:

The management and maintenance of safety standards specified within the WYFRS RPAS Operations Manual

Corporate authority to ensure both operations and maintainance systems can be financed

Creation and adoption of suitable policy / procedures Ultimately accountable to the CAA

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7 Operational roles

West Yorkshire FRS will deploy the drone with a team of two Drone Operators. Throughout their deployment each Drone Operator will alternate between the roles of Pilot and Co-Pilot / Camera Operator as deemed necessary.For extended deployments it is recommended that the mobilisation of relief pilots is considered.

7.1 Chief Pilot

The Chief Pilot is responsible for the development, delivery and maintenance of both SUSA general operator information (ground school) and system specific training for pilot and support functions of all systems in use by WYFRS Pilots in compliance with all relevant articles of the current version of the Air Navigation Order (ANO) and the CAA Permission

The Chief Pilot is also responsible for;

Acting as the Service subject matter expert on regulations and all aspects of Drone operations;

Initiating a Safety Management System (SMS) and Drone safety culture Monitoring interaction with other aerial activity Ensuring suitable and sufficient maintenance of the Drone Training and qualification of pilots and insurance provision Maintaining an open and transparent dialogue with the CAA to develop Drone use Supporting the Civil Drone Centre and Local Aerospace Companies to develop

Drone Search & Rescue capabilities. Daily operations and monitoring of adherence to safe operating principles Completion of records of maintenance, flight logs, risk assessments and training Performing upgrades to the drone hardware and flight software Assisting in pilot training.

7.2 Pilot

The pilot is ultimately responsible for the flight and compliance with the CAA permission and NATS operating parameters and will operate the system in a safe and responsible manner by;

Operating within the system’s capabilities Maintaining direct and unaided Line-of-Sight Flying at no greater than 400ft (120m) altitude and no farther than 500m distance

from themselves Minimising the risk of endangerment to self and others. Establishing communications with, and brief of the Co-Pilot / Camera Operator.

The Pilot will take advice from the Co-Pilot on the tasks required during the flight

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event; Ensure that all pre-flight checks on the system are completed and that it is in ‘all

ways’ fit to fly; Ensuring compliance with all relevant Articles of the current version of the Air

Navigation Order (ANO) and the CAA Permission, and; Maintaining individual flight user logs with records of training and time spent

operational flying Log a home position and appropriate waypoints during manual flight for later

execution, if required; Execute a waypoint flight with specific regard to the technical information

contained within the system User Manual and to maintain the ability to immediately revert to full manual flight control when required

For all operations the Pilot must maintain a listening watch on the relevant emergency service channel for the incident.When attending incidents Control must inform NPAS of possible drone flights.

7.3 Co-Pilot / Camera Operator / Observer

The Co-Pilot / Camera Operator / Observer will support flight operations by:

Obtaining imagery requirements from the IC Monitoring the area of operations for obstructions or people entering; Acting on safety warnings and verbally relaying messages to the Pilot; Protecting the Pilot from interruption and harassment during flying operations; Notifying the Pilot of sudden machine or environmental changes;

8 Operations manual

The main document that ensures the safe use of the drone is called the Operations Manual.

The Manual includes details relating to;

• Aircraft Accidents & Near Hits procedures• Notifications for flying in restricted / controlled airspace• Pre and Post flight checks • Site Surveys• Risk Assessment• Insurance• Training & Qualifications• Team Health & Medical Requirements• Flight Logs and Records

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• Data Protection and Privacy• Technical Data• Operating Limits• Flight Planning• Flight Operations• In addition to the Operations Manual there are also manufacturer’s guidelines and instructions.

8.1 Collision avoidance

Pilots are to ensure a level of safety is provided in respect of collision avoidance, which is equivalent to that provided by the pilot of a manned aircraft. This requires, among other things, the following:

Notifying localised ATC (where applicable) of your location and intentions. Providing unaided visual line of sight of the operating area which allows for the

detection of intruding aircraft. A method of communication between the Pilot and the Observer. A method of providing the precise location of the Drone at all times. A method of avoiding intruding aircraft (ability to manoeuvre the Drone out of

harm’s way) whilst remaining within the notified area.

WYFRS Operating Procedures, system checks and CAA safe operating distances must be adhered to at all times. In addition:

The system should only be flown for operational incidents, training and exercises. The drone team will liase with the Incident Commander to ensure members of the

public and fire ground personel are made aware that air operations are being undertaken and to ensure appropriate cordons are in place.

The IC / Fireground must be informed prior drone take off. The Drone pilot will only only carry out flight operations within the incident ground

once permission has been granted by the IC and all relevant personnel are informed by the IC (eg via Fireground safety message to all incident personnel)

9 Data protection & privacy

All imagery is subject to the WYFRS Visual Imaging policies and procedures.Any imagery that may be required for investigation purposes should be stored & managed in line with the Visual Imagery policy and WYFRS evidence management process. This process must only be carried out by the Multimedia department who are trained & experienced in the processing and management of evidence.All requests for video or stills imagery for non-operational purposes will be made through the Multimedia Department (AIR – Access to Images request) who will liaise with the Information Management department and will only release the information after careful consideration taking into account data protection and privacy legislation.

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A Privacy Impact Statement is held by the WYFRS nominated Freedom of Information Officer.

10 Training

Only personel who have successfully completed the Initial Training stated in section 9.1, and who have demonstrated competence to the required standard will be allowed to operate the system at operational incidents or outside the direct supervision of a competent trainer. Pilot training is designed to cover the following guidance;

WYFRS RPAS Operations Manual WYFRS Remote Pilot Aerial System policy DJI Inspire 1 User Manual DJI Matrice 210 User Manual CAP 382 – The Mandatory Occurrence Reporting Scheme CAP 393 – The Air Navigation Order 2016 and Regulations CAP 722 – Unmanned Aircraft System Operations in UK Airspace Guidance CAP 1763 – Air Navigation Order 2018 and 2019 Amendments – Guidance for

Small Unmanned Aircraft users ANO Article 94 - Small Unmanned Aircraft ANO Article 94A – Small unmanned aircraft: permissions for certain flights ANO Article 94B – Interpretations of expressions used in the definition of “flight

restriction zone” ANO Article 94C – Small unmanned aircraft: registration of SUA operator ANO Article 94D – Small unmanned aircraft: requirement for registration as SUA

operator ANO Article 94E – Small unmanned aircraft: competency of remote pilotsANO

Article 94F – Small unmanned aircraft: requirement for acknowledgement of competency

ANO Article 94G – Meaning of “remote pilot” and “SUA operator” ANO Article 95 – Small Unmanned Surveillance Aircraft ANO Article 240 – Endangering safety of an aircraft ANO Article 240 – Endangering safety of any person or property

10.1 Initial Training

The course contains several distinct phases which a potential pilot must fully complete before they are authorised to fly. Each phase must be completed successfully prior to advancement onto the next phase.

PHASE 1 – CAA Approved Training Pt 1 (CAA Ground School)

CAA approved classroom based training also known as ‘Ground School’ which includes a theoretical examination. This phase ensures the pilots are conversant with drone legislation and can interpret meteorological conditions.

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PHASE 2 – Day Time Development

Will last at least 1 month. During this period, a candidate pilot must accrue at least 3 hours of practical flight experience. If at all possible, practical flight should include tasking at facilities which would mirror a potential live incident.

PHASE 3 – CAA Approved training Pt 2 (CAA Assessment)

Practical flight assessment covering all the basic controls, fault recognition and interfaces available on the system. This will be carried out by a CAA approved trainer. Whilst the pilot becomes legally safe to fly commercially at this stage they are not yet competent to operate at emergency service incidents.

PHASE 4 – WYFRS Procedural Training

Local procedural training for procedures relating to notifications, data protection, privacy, image handling / storage, inter-agency working, record keeping and incident reporting.

PHASE 5 – Emergency Service Operations, including Night Time Operations

Practical flight scenarios and mentoring for a range of common incident types and camerawork skills. This phase will allow the pilot to demonstrate competent delivery of the common tasks required by Incident Commanders for drone pilots.This will be carried out by the Chief Pilot who will ensure the pilot can demonstrate how to operate safely at operational incidents during both daylight hours and night time hours.

Following Phase 5 a Pilot will be eligible to operate at operational incidents 10.2 Pilot Continuous Professional Development

To maintain competency each Pilot must fly for a minimum of two hours per quarter and attend a 12 monthly flight assessment delivered by the Chief Pilot.

All pilots will be subject to an annual appraisal, which will involve both practical and theory assessments.

10.3 Training Records

All training and assessment relating to the use of the Drone will be recorded using the Drone Team Training Documents training records system. This includes individual flight logs which must also be maintained by the pilots during training & assessment activities. All documents are available on request via the Drone team.

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11 Mobilising

11.1 Requesting the Drone

At incidents with 4 appliances or less: If the Incident Commander decides that the drone will be beneficial in the resolution of the incident, or for any other purposes that would of benefit to the Service (e.g. debriefing purposes, operational learning) then thay can make a request for the drone via Control. Control will then mobilise the Drone Team.

At incidents with 5 appliances or above: The drone will be mobilised by Control at all incidents with 5 or more appliances.

Non Operational Work: Request should be made via the Drone team email drone@westyorksfire.gov.uk.

When responding to requests the operator will respond to the incident under normal driving conditions and adhering to all road traffic laws.

12 Flight planning

On arrival at the incident the Pilot must liaise with the Incident Commander or Operations Commander to agree the intended tasking. Information on all current hazards and risks must also be requested12.1 Airspace

For operations within any controlled airspace (Class A, C, D and E) the pilot must contact the relevant ATC or airfield to seek permission to fly in line with current guidance issued by the CAA or ATC. The Aeronautical Chart covering the area to be flown must be referred to on each occasion the Drone is flown to identify any potential hazards or controlled airspace.Prior to operations the drone team will liase with Control who will contact NPAS to notify them of Drone activity at a specific location. In all cases the WYFRS pilot will de-conflict and land the drone should another air asset approach the same airspace.

Where the drone is required to operate in any other form of airspace WYFRS will seek consent to operate in that airspace beforehand.

Where such permission is gained a local procedure will be established in order to notify the responsible person / landowner / agency. In addition, additional control measures may also be required in order to satisfy the agreement. It is the duty of the Pilot in such circumstances to undertake out the necessary notifications and implement the agreed control measures prior to any flight taking place. It is vital that airspace issues are coordinated with the localised controlling authority (where applicable) during the flight-planning phase.

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12.2 Danger areas and HIRTAs

Danger Areas are areas of military airspace often used for activities such as fighter pilot training, live ammunition training or weapons and systems testing (including GPS jamming exercises). The official definition is “an airspace of defined dimensions within which activities dangerous to the flight of aircraft may exist at specified time. HIRTA’s are High Intensity Radio Transmission Areas; flying through these areas can interfere with the electronics on board a DRONE.

In West Yorkshire HIRTA sites include Emley Moor transmitter

12.3 Prohibited Areas

Prohibited Areas are areas of airspace which have been prohibited from having aircraft enter them. The official definition is “An airspace of defined dimensions above the land areas or territorial waters of a State within which the flight of aircraft is prohibited”.

12.4 Controlled Airspace, Aerodromes and Airports

Controlled Airspace is airspace controlled by an Air Traffic Control and normally surrounds airports.

Aerodrome Traffic Zones surround smaller airports and aerodromes that do not have additional controlled airspace. If you are operating a Drone above 7kg you must not fly in these areas without prior permission from the air traffic service provider controlling that airspace. For Drone under 7kg (such as all WYFRS Drones), it is still mandatory to notify the air traffic service provider of your activity.

In West Yorkshire sites include Leeds Bradford Airport

12.5 Restricted Areas

Restricted Areas protect sensitive locations such as prisons and nuclear facilities. The official definition is “An airspace of defined dimensions above the land areas or territorial waters of a State within which the flight of aircraft is restricted in accordance with certain specified conditions”

12.5.1 In West Yorkshire sites include HM Prison Leeds

12.6 Military Aerodrome Traffic Zones

Military Aerodrome Traffic Zones, similar to civil Aerodrome Traffic Zones, typically protect military aerodromes in the same way.

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13 Site survey

Prior to any air operations taking place, the Pilot should carry out a site survey on the ground to ensure operations are within the technical specifications of the Drone.

Where operations are pre-planned an aerial work site survey and pre-planned deployment survey (immediately prior to the flight) should be completed and there findings recorded on forms found in Appendix 3 and 4.

This is to ensure any changes to the site or operating environment that may have occurred since the initial survey are taken into consideration.

Where operations are unplanned (e.g. a no-notice incident) and there is a threat to life, property or the environment then they must, as a minimum, complete an aerial work pre-deployment survey immediately prior to flight. The findings from this survey must again be recorded on an aerial work pre-deployment form.

14 Risk assessment

A dynamic risk assessment process must be carried out continually by the Pilot and Co-Pilot and considerations must be given for the following:

14.1 Incident Hazards

On arrival at the incident, the Pilot must liase with the IC to be made aware of the risk assessment and potential hazards occurring from the specific type of incident which may include: fire, road traffic collisions, chemical spillage, CBRN etc.

14.2 Site Hazards

Examples of site hazards to be considered include:

The goods, storage, machinery and processes carried out on site, The nature of the site; prison, motorway, railway, etc. Surrounding installations; high intensity radio transmitters, etc. Obstruction hazards from road furniture, masts, overhead cables and wires,

buildings, bridges, etc. Aerial Appliances and other moving vehicles

14.3 Access and Egress Hazards

Hazards associated with access / egress to the area of operations.

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14.4 Work Activity Hazards

Hazards to be considered in relation to the system of work being undertaken by crews

14.5 Environmental ConditionsHazards arising from environmental conditions such as weather, topography, lighting and noise.

Control measures should be put in place to reduce all risks associated with these hazards to an acceptable level.

Where the risk from any of these hazards is deemed to be unacceptable the Pilot must not commence the flight. If the hazard is deemed to be unacceptable mid-flight then the drone should be landed as soon as it is safe to do so.

15 Imagery

15.1 Live Images

Authorised personnel can view live images if stood within close proximity to the Co-Pilot. There is also the abilty to stream the live video to the Command Unit and Command Unit Lite. This can be done via a HDMI cable if in close proximity to the Command Unit / Command Unit Lite, or wirelessly via the Excelerate Streaming box (Command Unit Only).

15.2 Stored Photographs

The drone can take high quality still photographs using the attached camera. These are stored on the SD card located on-board the drone camera. These can be made available to the incident commander once the drone has landed.

15.3 Stored Video

The drone is able to capture and store high quality video on the SD card located on-board the drone camera in addition to still images. The video from the Zenmuse Z3 and Zenmuse Z30 is HD quality. The thermal video from the Zenmuse XT2 has a maximum resolution of 640×512.Once again the video can be made available to the incident commander once the drone has landed. This will also be available post-incident for debrief purposes via the access to images request process following necessary approval.

15.4 Data Protection and Privacy

The pilot and authorised person will seek at all times to protect the distribution and

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availability of images so as not to contravene WYFRS legal requirements relating to data protection or privacy law. Onward transmission / distribution of images is strictly controlled. Where media releases are made, imagery must be processed by Multimedia.

16 References

CAP 382 – The Mandatory Occurrence Reporting SchemeCAP 393 – The Air Navigation Order 2016 and RegulationsCAP 722 – Unmanned Aircraft System Operations in UK Airspace GuidanceCAP 1763 – Air Navigation Order 2018 and 2019 Amendments – Guidance for Small Unmanned Aircraft usersANO Article 94 - Small Unmanned AircraftANO Article 94A – Small unmanned aircraft: permissions for certain flightsANO Article 94B – Interpretations of expressions used in the definition of “flight restriction zone”ANO Article 94C – Small unmanned aircraft: registration of SUA operatorANO Article 94D – Small unmanned aircraft: requirement for registration as SUA operatorANO Article 94E – Small unmanned aircraft: competency of remote pilotsANO Article 94F Small unmanned aircraft: requirement for acknowledgement of competencyANO Article 94G – Meaning of “remote pilot” and “SUA operator”ANO Article 95 – Small Unmanned Surveillance AircraftANO Article 240 – Endangering safety of an aircraftANO Article 240 – Endangering safety of any person or propertywww.caa.co.ukhttp://publicapps.caa.co.uk/modalapplication.aspx?catid=1&pagetype=65&appid=11&mode=search

17 Appendix Aerial Work Site Surveys Pre-planned Operations,Pre-planned Survey, On-Site Survey

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Aerial Work Site SurveyPre-planned OperationsLocationDate TimeLat / LongOS Grid Ref AltitudeSite Owner ContactVehicle AccessAirspace Classification

A C D E F G

Danger Areas, HIRTA Prohibited, Restricted, Controlled Airspace or MTZ

Include Nuclear Sites, Transmitters etc.

Sensitivities (in addition to the above)

Buildings (prisons / schools) Areas (reserves / sanctuaries) Animals (livestock / birds) Bylaws

Other Air Users Drones, Gliding, Kites, Model Aircraft

Potential hazards to frying

Radio transmission, ranges, gas vents

Public access Rights of way, roads, foot/bridal paths

People Congested areas, elderly / young

Weather prediction

Risk reduction and additional control measuresPermissions / NotificationsEstablishment

Date Notified Contact Name Contact Details

ATCU

Other Air UsersMilitary ControlNOTAM

Other

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Aerial Work Site SurveyPre-planned SurveyNotes

Pilot Signature DateCo-Pilot Signature Date

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Aerial Work Site SurveyOn-Site SurveyNotes

Pilot Signature DateCo-Pilot Signature Date

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