European emergency services trial drones for firefighting and human rescues

European emergency services are being trained on how to use consumer drones in rescue operations and emergencies, including chemical spills, car accidents and widespread fires.
Ireland's Donegal Mountain Rescue Team has been using advanced drone software to
help coordinate search and rescue missions in remote areas, while the Greater Copenhagen Fire Department in Denmark will be taught how to use drones to combat fires, chemical accidents and pile ups in both urban and over-water conditions.
The Phantom and  Inspire drones have been supplied by Chinese hobby drone company and market leader DJI in a partnership with the European Emergency Number Association (EENA), providing pilot teams with the sophisticated technology.
The partnership could be extended across other organisations in Europe following the EENA's annual conference this week.
Romeo Durscher, DJI's director of education, said drones were improving the future of human responses to dangerous situations without further endangering lives.
"Drones are transforming the way first response and civil protection missions operate by not only helping commanders make faster, smarter and better informed decisions, but also by providing first responders with more detailed information from an aerial perspective," he said. "The technology is easy to deploy and can be used in dangerous situations without risking pilots' lives. This ultimately saves lives and property."
Earlier this year it was reported more than  a quarter of the 43 police forces in England and Wales were considering using drones in high risk operations and to trace burglary suspects.
Steve Barry, the Association of Chief Police Officers' lead on drones, said they were likely to become a common sight and used in a wide range of criminal investigations.
"If someone breaks into your shed and then makes off, and there are dozens of back sheds he might be hiding in ... drones could be the perfect solution. They would be quicker than dogs," he said.
Tokyo's police force introduced an elite fleet of interceptor drones designed to chase and catch suspicious-looking drones in nets flying over sensitive locations amid concerns for the prime minister's safety late last year.

The answer, in short, is 'yes' - with some provisos.The CAA admits that the rules and regulations around drone use are “evolving”, but this is the state of play at the moment: drones are classified as "unmanned aircraft", and the CAA is keen to point out that they are most certainly a type of aircraft and “not toys”.

If your drone weighs over 20kg then you're out of luck - it's only legal to use it in certified "danger areas" such as Parc Aberporth aerodrome in West Wales.

Even those using a drone weighing less than 20kg for commercial use – receiving payment of any sort – are required to seek permission from the CAA.To get permission you will have to show that you are “sufficiently competent”. This is less clear-cut than manned aircraft, which has a well-established licencing procedure.

If your drone is under 20kg and you're not using it for commercial reasons, then you still have some rules to follow. Anyone filming with a drone for their own purposes must avoid flying it within 150 metres of a congested area and 50 metres of a person, vessel, vehicle or structure not under the control of the pilot.You will also need to fly the aircraft within sight. This means you can’t go above 400ft in altitude or further than 500 metres horizontally. If you want to exceed that, you’ll again need to seek explicit permission from the CAA.