I’ve watched different television programs and videos that illustrate how new technologies are being developed that can help in disaster situations. One of those is the use of new tech to help in urban search and rescue situations like we are seeing play out in Miami.
However, as discussed in this article, “
An expert on search and rescue robots explains the technologies used in disasters like the Florida condo collapse,” it is currently a lot of talk and no fielding of such technologies.
It is kind of like drone delivery of packages. We always seem to be on the cusp of it happening, but then it is not being fielded in any significant way.
It is true that the Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) applications are few and far between and there is a limited market for technology that is specialized for probing deep into a collapsed building. That kind of resource/new tech will likely come from a university program that is looking at specialized uses or there will be a major market development that also has application to the US&R mission.
Eric Holdeman is a nationally known emergency manager. He has worked in emergency management at the federal, state and local government levels. Today he serves as the Director, Center for Regional Disaster Resilience (CRDR), which is part of the Pacific Northwest Economic Region (PNWER). The focus for his work there is engaging the public and private sectors to work collaboratively on issues of common interest, regionally and cross jurisdictionally.
