Image credit: BRINC, used with permission
US Drone Maker BRINC Drones Sends Drones and Pilots to Turkey
BRINC Chief of Staff Andrew Cote had arrived from Turkey hours before we met at the BRINC facility in Seattle, but the former Marine was in the post-earthquake devastation he discovered the day before. brought that same gentle efficiency to our interviews. He and Chief Pilot Chase Bailey flew for four days at all available daylight hours to search for survivors and remains.
BRINC Global Rescue Network
BRINC’s SWAT drone was created shortly after the 2017 Las Vegas shooting. The company has been working to respond to the emergency since then. His BRINC Global Rescue Network, the philanthropic arm of the organization, donates drones and services around the world. When news of earthquakes hit Turkey and Syria, CEOs Blake Resnick and CotĂ© quickly determined that BRINC LEMUR could provide value and decided to do everything they could to contribute to relief efforts. I was.
Image credit: BRINC, used with permission
It was never that easy. âWe immediately started thinking about contacts in the region and reached out to agents and people we knew in government to see if they had a mission for us,â he said. says. CotĂ© has significant networks in government and the military. The company is well known in the special forces, law enforcement and first responder communities. Yet, in the chaos that followed the epic scale of the emergency, finding an organization to integrate into was proving difficult.
If you missed the story of how BRINC provided drones and provided training to the Ukrainian military, it should come as no surprise that their next decision is bold. “I knew the situation would get worse and that the longer I waited, the less chance I had of finding people, so I decided to go,” Resnick said.
on the ground in turkey
Coté coordinated with the Turkish Embassy in DC and FEMA Turkish contacts to obtain a letter of introduction and approval. He and Chief his pilot Bailey were equipped with everything they needed to survive and sustain themselves in Turkey, so they needed nothing but water and power for their aircraft upon arrival. They have prepared a translated statement of purpose to engage with key leaders and communities on the ground. They then deployed three LEMUR drones to the Hatay region, the second worst-hit area, about 30 minutes west of the Syrian border.
Turkish special operations forces controlled the city. CÎté acted as instructed in Marine Corps training, engaged with key leaders on the ground, and explained the function of BRINC equipment. The ground forces immediately accepted their help and provided a team of three soldiers to help them navigate and move around the city.
Image credit: BRINC, used with permission
CotĂ© said conditions in the area were as horrific as the images show. âWe classify buildings into three types: those that are completely destroyed, those that appear intact but may be unsafe, and those whose first and second floors have been compressed with the rest of the building intact. It’s a building.”
lemur mission
Their job was to search for survivors or use LEMUR drones on damaged buildings to identify bodies. It is designed to operate in a GPS-deprived environment, infiltrating buildings, clearing areas for SWAT teams, and establishing two-way communications. Applied to post-disaster search and rescue, LEMUR is highly effective.
The survivors quickly understood what the team was up to and appreciated the opportunity. âThe family camped out in front of the destroyed building, waiting for help to find them,â CĂŽtĂ© explained. “They told us where to look, which apartment, which room. We navigated the places they told us too.” For four days he flew as long as possible each day.
The missions were difficult and the experiences of CĂŽte and Bailey were challenging. But when they returned to Seattle, they were already looking forward to what would happen next for Turkish survivors and first responders.
“It’s going to be more dangerous and more unstable for them,” CĂŽtĂ© said.
Miriam McNabb, editor-in-chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of professional drone services marketplace JobForDrones, is a fascinating observer of the emerging drone industry and drone regulatory environment. With her 3,000+ articles focused on the commercial drone space, Miriam is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam holds a degree from the University of Chicago and has over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing new technologies.
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