HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 10198 INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 10198
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council November 13, 2018
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*a SUBJECT: USE OF DRONES BY CITY OF FORT WORTH
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The purpose of this Informal Report is to provide information about how the City currently uses
unmanned aircraft systems, commonly known as drones, and potential applications of this
technology to municipal services.
At present, the following City departments are using drones.
• Police: Owns ten drones, including small ones for indoor use. Used for intelligence
gathering, surveillance, search and rescue, training and monitoring. Certain missions can
provide enhanced capabilities and reduce risk to officers, while being more cost effective
than helicopter use.
• Water: Owns one drone. Used for inspections and monitoring of water and sewer line
infrastructure. Efficiency in discovering and correcting situations that haven't been
previously observed.
• IT Solutions: Owns one drone. Used for inspections of radio towers. Immediate efficiency
seen by the reduction of tower climbs to inspect storm damage.
• Fire: Owns two drones. Scout structure fires, wildfires, etc., conduct damage
assessments, reconnaissance during search and rescue.
Other departments that have expressed interest:
• Code Compliance: Detect mosquito breeding areas, identify illegal dumping areas and
substandard buildings
• Park and Recreation: Inspection of parks and golf courses
• Property Management: Inspection of City property, and structures
• Planning & Development: Assessing the City's urban tree canopy and associated effects.
Inspection of construction sites and zoning issues
• Public Events: Photography for marketing
• TPW: Inspection of runoff during flood incidents, construction projects
• Aviation: Monitoring, surveillance and inspections of facilities, property and wildlife
Drones are becoming more technologically advanced, translating into enhancements to safety,
security and efficiency. While drones have the capability to carry payloads, current Federal
Aviation Administration restrictions require visual line of sight, payloads of 55 pounds or less, and
appropriate certifications (Federal Aviation Regulation Part 107 small UAS rating).
A considerable amount of work has been done to create an internal drone program for the City of
Fort Worth through IT Solutions and collaborative efforts with other departments. This includes a
UAS management system that will maintain pilot and equipment flight logs, the creation of an
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS
INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 10198
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council November 13, 2018
h�T�i7 Page 2 of 2
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*a SUBJECT: USE OF DRONES BY CITY OF FORT WORTH
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Administrative Regulation (in draft form), and a City ordinance (also in draft form). The purpose of
the Administrative Regulation and City ordinance would be to establish citywide policies and
procedures regarding unmanned aerial systems—for City-owned drones and third-party
operators. Department representatives, along with legal counsel, are currently reviewing these
documents. Once this process is completed, the approval process will begin with the City
Manager's Office.
Research has shown that most drone deployment applications typically cost from $800 to $2,000.
Depending on the frequency of use, the option to enter into an agreement with a third-party
vendor or interdepartmental agreement is also available. Third-party vendors usually start at
$150/hour for basic services, but they often require a four (4) hour minimum to deploy a drone for
each request, bringing the minimum cost of a single drone mission to $600.
Drones can be economical in comparison to traditional flight operations, as the price of manned
flight typically starts at $180 per hour in a small, fixed-wing aircraft and $2,000 per flight-hour in a
rotary wing.
The benefits of drone use within the various City departments is clear to those currently using this
technology. Increased situational awareness, decreased costs, and increased safety to City staff
are realized with minimal impact to current operating procedures. Therefore, the City Manager's
Office is recommending the expanded use of drones to increase the safety and efficiency of
various operations.
If you have any questions about this information, please contact Aviation Director Bill Welstead at
817-392-5402.
David Cooke
City Manager
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS