Bergen County OEM utilizes drone technology in emergency situations

Some New Jersey first responders are using advanced technology to help assist in dangerous situations. The Bergen County Office of Emergency Management is the first and only county department in the

News 12 Staff

Aug 9, 2016, 4:39 AM

Updated 3,061 days ago

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Some New Jersey first responders are using advanced technology to help assist in dangerous situations.
The Bergen County Office of Emergency Management is the first and only county department in the state to have a fleet of drones to be used by its staff.
Officials say that suing the cameras on the drones give operators on the ground a much larger perspective of an event.
Officials say the drones will help assist in active shooter situations, fires, and search and rescue missions.
"It's all situational awareness. It gives the incident commander a picture they would never be able to see standing on the ground in front of a building. It gives you a 360-degree image of exactly what's going on and that's very important," says OEM Coordinator Matthew Tiedemann.
New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker says that Congress should to more to help other communities around the country take advantage drone technology.
"I think congress should be funding innovations on the local level for first responders, just like they fund cop grants, safer grants for fire and police departments. We should be funding new technology," he says.
Bergen County officials say the drone program costs about $20,000.