F.R.E.D. stands for Fast Response Emergency Drone, and it's the name given to a special service which is operating with a Polaris Ranger 570 Crew in South West Scotland.


The Ranger 570

Holywood Services, the Polaris dealer for the area, has supplied the Ranger to Duncan Carmichael's Community Interest project for the Emergency Services, to carry drones for deployment to 'accident' sites.

The off-road abilities of the Ranger Crew can take them to otherwise inaccessible areas where the drones are be used for faster search and rescue assessment. Images sent back by the drones are assessed for the emergency services to take appropriate action, effectively saving money, for example, by not having to send the air ambulance to a non-critical scene.

The Ranger 570 Crew was requested as the ideal machine for the job of travelling with the drones, carrying up to four people and having the space for a stretcher mounted on the rear box or for tools and equipment. The ambulance service, paramedics, fire fighters, Police Scotland and national power companies can all benefit from the drones being able to go to road traffic accidents, flooding and searches for missing persons.

This is especially effective using the Polaris to carry them into difficult terrain for launch. Once airborne, special software enables images from the drones to be viewed on up to six devices, such as mobile 'phones and computers, at a time. Search areas and distances covered are far wider with the drones deployed and where there is a need the 4x4 capabilities of the Ranger 570 Crew can take emergency volunteers right to the scene of the accident or disaster zone.

"Successful development of the F.R.E.D. service will, it is hoped, lead to it getting on to the International Rescue Register," says Duncan Carmichael, "and we have been showing the Polaris and drones at large numbers of events to demonstrate the recue capabilities, with a great deal of interest as a result."