The Niles Village Council received two grants from the Cook County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management at the May 28 Village Council meeting.
The village secured two Urban Safety Initiative Cook County Homeland Security grants to cover the $84,000 cost of equipping a recently procured mobile command unit with state-of-the-art equipment and the $19,000 cost of purchasing two drones for the fire department.
“Following the active threat incident in Highland Park, it became apparent that Niles, population approximately 30,000, could experience a similar threat throughout the year,” the village's drone application, completed by Deputy Fire Chief Robert Greiner, said.
According to the application, the fire department currently owns an old, outdated drone that was donated by a resident. The drone is used to respond to threats, search for people with dog and drone rescue teams, and monitor fires. The drone also works with the police department to fly along parade routes and for events such as local festivals that draw more than 10,000 visitors.
“The impact of our new drones will be immediate. We hope to use new drone technology, including collision avoidance, thermal imaging, photography, longer range and operation times, and object tracking, to improve operations and safety in Niles and the surrounding area,” the application states.
According to Fire Chief Marty Feld, the new drones, two EVO Max 4T drones manufactured by Ortel Robotics, will be used for search and rescue, firefighting, post-fire investigation, natural disaster response, hazardous materials incidents, advance planning, public relations and social media. Neighboring fire departments will also be able to use the drones in emergency situations to assist with fire management and suppression, the application states.
Niles Police Deputy Chief Nick Zakula told the Pioneer Press the mobile command unit will be used by police for special events, major incidents and other uses.
