AERIAL ASSISTANCE . . . Duncan Carmichael, of Fast Response Emergency Drone CIC, has launched a fundraising appeal to purchase an emergency response drone
Duncan Carmichael, who is the director of Fast Response Emergency Drone CIC, is looking to buy a state-of-the-art aerial device to assist at the scene of road traffic accidents, flooding and search and rescue operations.
And the community interest company, which is based at Middlebie, has applied for grant funding and is seeking sponsorship and donations from local companies and residents to meet the £6000 bill.
Duncan, who previously served as a firefighter in Lockerbie, said: “What we are trying to do with the new venture could help the region massively.
“We are trying to raise funds for an emergency response drone that would go to accidents and could relay messages up to six devices.”
He added: “One of these devices could be in the accident and emergency department so hospital staff could see the incident before the casualty even arrives,
which is ground-breaking and has never been done before.
“And we are also looking to get a body cam which paramedics would wear so the
emergency services could see the incident from the sky and on the ground.”
Currently working alongside four team members, Duncan has recently purchased a 4×4 and an all-terrain vehicle to help widen their search capabilities.
And they are also offering commercial work, such as weddings, with two smaller drones in an attempt to raise capital for the larger project.
Outlining the benefits it could bring to the local area, Duncan added: “We are looking for volunteers for the search and rescue role, for which full training will be provided, and we are doing fundraisers in the local area to try and raise funds.
“Partnerships have also got to be formed as we’ve got to get the emergency services on our side so they call us when they need us.
“But by doing this we are not taking anything away from other services like Moffat Mountain Rescue as our equipment is for low-lying land rescue and flooding.”
Anyone wishing to find out more about the volunteer roles or how they can assist with sponsorship should e-mail [email protected]
