Here’s a practical, up-to-date list of the most popular aerial drones being used by fire departments in the U.S. and worldwide—especially for thermal imaging, situational awareness, incident command, search & rescue, and fire scene assessment:
Best for: Full fire scene situational awareness, large or complex incidents
- Enterprise-grade platform with long range and endurance
- Compatible with powerful multi-sensor payloads (e.g., Zenmuse H30T thermal + optical + laser rangefinder)
- Weather-resistant, reliable in harsh conditions
- Excellent for large structure, industrial or wildland fire operations and mapping
Most fire departments with a strong UAS program choose this as their core platform.
Best for: Combined thermal + zoom imagery in one integrated package
- Built-for-emergency-services design
- Thermal camera + 48 MP zoom + wide angle
- Rapid deployment from apparatus or command vehicle
- Lightweight but rugged solution for fire crews
- Highly rated by actual fire UAS pilots
Seen in many active fire department programs due to performance and reliability.
Best for: Compact, quick-deploy fire operations
- Portable and easy to carry on fire rigs
- Thermal + visual imaging for quick scene overview
- Good balance of price and capability for small/medium departments
- Allows rapid hotspot detection and rough size-up before larger units arrive
Many volunteer and smaller teams keep one in every engine or rescue unit.
Best for: Rapid supply delivery to hard-to-reach locations during rescue operations
- High payload delivery design, potentially useful for transporting compact rescue supplies when roads or access routes are blocked
- Winch delivery option can lower items without landing, which may help when landing zones are unsafe or unavailable
- Ruggedized specs (e.g., IP55 rating and cold-weather operating range) may better match wet, windy, and harsh incident conditions than typical drones
- Redundancy and safety features can be attractive for managed operations, but still require strict procedures and airspace coordination
Reliable transportation platform designed to provide you with essential supplies in impossible environments.
Best for: Quick Risk Assessment, Versatile Aerial Thermal Reconnaissance, and faster on-demand overwatch
- Dock-based “ready-to-launch” concept can reduce response time by enabling on-demand aerial support without waiting for a full team to arrive on scene
- Matrice 4TD’s visual + thermal sensing supports rapid scene size-up and heat-source checks for night operations or low-visibility conditions
- FlyTo-style missions / automated dispatch workflows can help standardize immediate recon routes (e.g., perimeter check, roof scan, ingress/egress assessment) when seconds matter
- Improve drone availability by integrating an all-in-one drone solution into drone emergency response plans.
For fire and rescue operations, the key is to quickly identify the target so that a risk assessment can be conducted as early as possible, avoiding sending personnel directly to the dangerous area.
