Drones in emergency response – evidence from cross-border, multi-disciplinary usability tests

Abstract

Harsh terrain, extreme weather conditions, and logistics challenges pose certain risks to rescue workers when they are responding to emergencies in mountainous regions. During time-critical rescue operations, the safety of the rescue team itself is of utmost importance. Recently, the advantages of drone technology to support emergency operations have gained academic attention; a widespread practical implementation, however, is still not taking place. Therefore, in this study, we investigate drones from a practitioners' point of view. We conducted a series of 11 usability tests with a total of 49 scenarios based on realistic emergency circumstances including 288 participants from Austrian and Italian rescue organizations. Participants predominantly came from the field of mountain rescue, while the involvement of fire fighters, emergency medical personnel, or cave rescuers, as well as drone manufacturers and professional pilots adds to the study's generalizability. The empirical insights derived from the usability tests demonstrate the capabilities of drones to reduce operational risks in rescue missions, thereby increasing the safety and performance of response teams. Rescuers benefit from drone usage, especially in urgent missions such as search and rescue and emergency items delivery, as the technology reduces response times while simultaneously minimizing risk exposure. Results also indicate that the technology facilitates more accurate mission planning and management, contributes to preventive risk reduction, and represents a novel technique for emergency-related geographic surveying. Nevertheless, several improvements in terms of drone–helicopter communication and image analysis are required to further enhance the usability of drones for emergency purposes.