THE EUROPEAN – SECURITY AND DEFENCE UNION
Data management: lessons learned from the use of unmanned tools
How robots can foster civilian emergency response processes by Jean-Paul Monet, Lieutenant Colonel of BDRFD, Quality Management Division Chief, Marseilles*
For many years, military, security and safety services have been testing and finally using unmanned systems. The author’s aim is to provide a short history of these robots and describe the way they are employed today in the field of civil safety and security. They may even explain how this new deal implies some changes in command system processes and… in the mindsets of incident commanders (ic) themselves.
Lt Col Jean-Paul Monet is a senior officer employed by the Bouches-du-Rhône Fire Department (BDRFD), France. This 55-year-old officer has been working in industrial hazard risk assessment, CBRNE and IT emergency planning
Robots for civilian and military purposes Counter Improvised Explosive Device (IED) crews were the first to acknowledge these unusual tools. After the 90ties, ruggedized, versatile and multi-terrain robots progressively emerged. Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs), and this generation of tools moved from C-IED missions to the CBRN sector market and then, more recently, to generic firefighting and oil and gas applications. Apart from military applications, many public agencies are now using UGVs, particularly in special risks mitigation, security, and counter-terrorism missions. The manufacturers have been developing a global range of UGVs, from light versions (less than 1 kg) to the heaviest ones (more than 10 tons), offering a wide choice to end users concerned with professional constraints, agility, payload, sensors and work power. On the other hand, the widespread deployment of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) during the Afghanistan and Middle East conflicts has definitely consolidated the concept and the machines, and paved the way for the development of interfac-
A robotic device doing reconnaissance in an industrial plant
36
Photo: © BDRFD, Marseille
fields for 30 years. He has frequently been an incident commander (industrial incidents, floods, bushfires, etc.), dealing
with a large number of responders. Instructed at IC-420 (US command system) level, he has written several papers and carried out some pilot-drills in order to identify the transferability of some principles into European practice.
es and sensors for military uses. At the same time, in another area, the world of leisure, huge numbers of inventors worldwide, have created – most often in their own garages – a large family of light drones!
UGVs and UAVs in civilian safety and security Drones were first used in a professional capacity through an unusual channel, namely the leisure industry. At the same time, aerial imagery was also extended to the military domain, the intelligence and fire services. Nowadays, all classes of UAVs are fully employed in tourism and industry, sensitive area survey, natural disaster fighting and law enforcement missions. In our particular area of interest, civil protection troops currently use the full range of UGVs and UAVs throughout the world (in this case, due to restrictive European regulations MALE and HALE drones are replaced by aerial imagery using regular aircraft equipped with drone optronic tools). Based on ten years’ experience of robotics R&D and use in the Bouches-duRhône fire department (CBRN, Source: BDRFD, Marseille
