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Drone in Naperville, Ill., to Provide First Responder Backup

Paperwork is in process for the city to obtain the required certificate of authority that will clear the way for trained operators to begin using the device.

(TNS) -- Naperville's drone is on track to provide backup for the city's first responders.

One of the small flying machines — unmanned aircraft equipped with cameras and operated by remote control — was purchased for the fire department in April, but the agency isn't yet able to put it into use. Andrew Dina, fire department bureau chief, reported last week that paperwork is in process to bring the city the required certificate of authority (COA) that will clear the way for trained operators to begin using the $1,200 device. Dina said the authorization should come through by mid-September.

"Following a successful period of training and an FAA visit to evaluate our systems and procedures, the Fire Department will move forward toward obtaining an operational COA which would allow us to operate the [drone] in and around the city of Naperville," Dina said in a memo, adding that a trained Illinois state police coordinator has agreed to help the department get the program underway.

Also in process is development of a local policy governing use of the airborne surveillance mechanisms. City attorneys now are reviewing the existing state police program, and a proposed policy for Naperville will be presented to the City Council once they have finished looking over those documents, Dina said.

Although some residents have said the technology potentially imperils personal privacy, fire chief Mark Puknaitis has said the drone won't be sent aloft in public areas. It will be particularly valuable, he said, in circumstances where public safety responders have access challenges, such as fires and floods.

"This not anything more than an additional tool to be used under very specific applications," Puknaitis told the City Council in May.

©2015 the Naperville Sun (Naperville, Ill.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.