The Norfolk Fire Division was recently awarded grant funding to assist in purchasing new equipment. TC Energy awarded Norfolk Fire $20,000 to purchase a new drone and software. With the funding, they acquired an M30T thermal drone, flight data management software, a portable generator, and other supporting equipment such as extension cords, collapsible LED traffic cones, and an aluminum cargo hauler.

"Norfolk Fire and Rescue is extremely grateful for the opportunity to expand our capabilities as a drone team through grant assistance from TC Energy," said Tim Wragge, Fire Chief. "The equipment purchased, specifically the M30T Drone, will allow us to fly in certain conditions that our existing drone cannot. NFD personnel have spent a lot of time and energy becoming well-versed in drones, in addition to other skills they must stay proficient in. I am very proud of those efforts."

Norfolk Fire’s drone team trains at least once a month, and the equipment is used for flying fire scenes such as structural or vegetation fires. It can also be used to determine the area burned in field fires, as well as to assist with a multitude of other tasks if requested by law enforcement, who also use drones on a regular basis.