Drone Unit

The Donnersbergkreis drone unit is stationed at the Winnweiler base and consists of about 20 active firefighters from the Winnweiler municipal association. The personnel have completed theoretical training, several practical exercises, and an exam on drone operation to ensure the safety of people and equipment. As a standard procedure, personnel from the drone unit are dispatched for specific types of incidents within the municipality to document the situation and gather additional information relevant to the operation. The unit also operates outside its own municipality, providing support—for example, by using an aerial thermal imaging camera—during operations such as building fires, wildfires, or search-and-rescue missions.

In 2023, the drone unit was deployed a total of 62 times (2022: 49 deployments). Of these, 25 were for wildfires alone (2022: 19), 8 building fires (2022: 14), and 8 search-and-rescue operations (2022: 7). The average duration of a mission in 2023 was approximately 2:30 hours (in 2022, approximately 2:00 hours)

Thanks to its two cameras, the drone proves to be helpful in a wide range of operational scenarios, as being able to get an overview from the air is extremely helpful, especially in situations with limited visibility. The integrated thermal imaging camera also makes it possible to locate residual hot spots or provide important information during search-and-rescue operations.