Mark Bathrick, director of the Interior Department‘s aviation services unit, has said that DOI uses unmanned aerial vehicles from the Defense Department to assist in emergency and disaster response efforts, Federal Times reported Thursday.The report said DOI maintains various drones such as the Falcon Hover, Pulse Vapor 55 and 3DR Solo Quadcopter.
Bathrick told Federal Times that the department conducted a burnout operation in southern Oregon last year using a drone and prevented an estimated $50 million in damages to local infrastructure.
He added that drones work to help operators collect data for analysis.
