WEST MEMPHIS -- Lt. Fred Thorne toggled the stick on the controller and the DJI Phantom 4 drone rose higher over the West Memphis Fire Department's station on Seventh Street.
On a video screen mounted above the controller, the drone's camera showed the station and Thorne below getting smaller as the drone climbed to 40 feet. Thorne pushed another switch and the drone spun around providing a 360-degree view of the Crittenden County town's neighborhood near Seventh Street and Broadway.
The 8.4-pound drone, about 12 inches by 14 inches wide, headed north on Seventh toward Interstate 40 and then turned around, returning to land softly on the fire station's driveway.
"This is going to be great," Thorne said. "This is going to be a very beneficial tool for our Fire Department."
The West Memphis Fire Department is one of the only Arkansas departments that soon will use a drone as a firefighting tool, said Rusty McLain, president of the Arkansas State Firefighters Association. Fire departments in Little Rock and Bentonville have considered getting the devices but have yet to do so.
"It's an amazing resource," McLain said. "I think a lot of fire stations will begin using drones soon."
Thorne had looked at drones in the past. He has relatives who work for the Gulfport, Miss., Fire Department, where the remote-controlled device is used in firefighting and rescues.
A Jan. 31 crash on Interstate 40 in West Memphis involving a tractor-trailer hauling hazardous materials moved the department to obtain its drone.
The rig loaded with sodium cyanide flipped on the roadway, forcing the closure of the westbound lanes at 6:30 a.m. that day. Because the volatile chemical reacts with water, West Memphis firefighters put on hazardous-material protection gear before assessing the danger.
It took more than an hour to suit up and determine the chemicals would not explode, Thorne said.
It would have been different had the department used its drone then, he said.
"We could have gotten the drone up in five minutes," Thorne said.
The overtime for the spill cost the city about $1,000. The Phantom 4 drone cost $1,400.
"It would pay for itself within a couple of runs," he said.
Firefighters can use the drone to assess chemical spills, carry out rescue operations, search for missing people, and for firefighting work, he said.
Other departments around the country have been using the craft. The New York City Fire Department bought several drones in September to use when responding to two-alarm or larger fires. The North Stonington, Conn., department recently began using the devices, along with fire departments in San Diego; Naperville, Ill.; Joshua, Texas; and Valley Township, Pa.
Bentonville Fire Chief Kevin Boydston saw the savings benefits as well when he pitched use of a drone to city leaders. He asked the city to spend $8,000 for two drones but was turned down.
"Our city administration didn't feel confident using taxpayers' money to buy this," he said. 'There was some opposition to the idea.
"This is a high-priority for us. As soon as we can identify a way to fund buying a drone, we're going to get one. You can easily justify the cost."
Deputies at the Ouachita County sheriff's office began using a drone about two years ago, Capt. Adam LaDuke said. It was used to assess damage when a tornado ripped through Bearden in 2015.
"It gives you a bird's-eye view," LaDuke said. "You can see everything better. We could see the storm's path. It knocked hours off of work."
Deputies also use the drone when serving arrest warrants. The office gained attention last year when deputies prepared to arrest a person who lived on a dead-end road. As they were preparing to leave, deputies received a tip that the person had weapons in his home.
"It was a high-risk search warrant," LaDuke said. "They could see us coming down the road."
Deputies launched the drone and watched on the monitor as it flew around the suspect's home. The man stepped outside, saw the drone and shot it out of the air. A video the drone took of the shooting was widely seen on the Internet, he said.
"We were 30 seconds from pulling into his driveway," LaDuke said. "The drone changed our approach. It could have been a bad situation."
The sheriff's office also uses its drone to fly over events and festivals to ensure public safety and watch for any traffic problems.
Thorne said he wants to certify about 12 West Memphis firefighters to fly the drone so it can be used on each of the department's three shifts when needed.
The Federal Aviation Administration has strict regulations for government entities to fly drones, though. Civilians can buy drones and, for the most part, fly them just minutes after opening the box, Thorne said. Firefighters, police, rescue workers and other governmental employees must take extensive tests for certification to fly them, he said.
One of the federal rules is that the devices cannot fly above 400 feet or in any restricted skies around airports. Memphis International Airport is within 15 miles of the West Memphis department; if the department's drone gets too close to the airport or an airplane, it automatically shuts down and lands.
The difficulties in attaining certification hindered the Little Rock Fire Department's effort to obtain a drone, said Assistant Chief Doug Coney.
"There is a lot that goes into getting certified," he said. "We are still looking into it."
Thorne, who has been with the West Memphis department for 23 years, said the technology of drones has been received well by longtime firefighters.
"There are a lot who have never used a drone," he said of the department's firefighters. "Some of the older guys may be set in their ways and it's hard to bring new technology in. But once they see it, they jump on board."
He has demonstrated the drone to the Crittenden County sheriff's office and to the West Memphis Police Department, which is across the street from the Fire Department.
Last month, as a joke, Thorne flew the drone across Thompson Avenue to the Police Department and hovered it outside the window of Police Chief Donald Oakes. Thorne called Oakes' office and told him to look outside, but the chief wasn't in.
Later, he flew the drone behind his brother-in-law, who is also a West Memphis officer, as he left the police station to walk to his car.
"There's always somebody saying of the government that 'Big Brother is watching,'" Thorne said, referring to the George Orwell novel, 1984, that depicts a dystopian future ruled by a strict government.
"I told him, 'You police are always watching us.' I said, 'I'm watching you now.'"
Thorne hopes he and his firefighters become certified with the FAA this month and that the department soon will use the drone.
"This is an extra tool in our truck," he said. "With this, we can cover a lot of ground. We can save time and lives."
SundayMonday on 03/05/2017