The new pilot project of maritime rescue with drones, promoted by the Emergency Department of the Government of the Canary Islands and, with the collaboration of the City Council of La Oliva, aims to seek the viability of the surveillance and prevention program on the coasts of the municipality. Thus, the initiative seeks to reinforce the safety of bathers and users of the coast, as well as to optimize the management of possible incidents in the marine environment.
The service in its initial phase will cover different essential functions for the protection of municipal beaches such as surveillance and protection of the coast, with observations for the early detection of trouble spots, dangerous currents, possible contamination and even banks of jellyfish. In addition, it will provide vital support to the lifeguards, as the new service personnel will be in charge of providing constant support to the surveillance work from the watchtowers, thus optimizing the coverage and response capacity in the bathing areas.
It should be noted, in turn, that the implementation of the pilot project will enable active surveillance for the sighting of marine animals that may pose a risk to bathers or require attention, as well as the location of unidentified objects that could compromise the safety of the coast or pose a risk to the marine environment.
In this sense, the mayor and responsible for Public Safety of La Oliva, Isaí Blanco, highlights the importance of the implementation of this pilot program: “This new project not only seeks to find the feasibility as a support for the lifeguard service on our shores, but also provides new functions such as conflict detection or location of pollutants on our beaches. This initiative will provide, therefore, a service in initial phase that, for the safety of bathers while continuing to preserve the natural environment of our beaches.”
In addition, the Minister of Territorial Policy and responsible for Emergencies of the Canary Islands Government, Manuel Miranda, said: “This is a clear example of how technological innovation can be put at the service of safety, prevention and protection of people, and how the Canary Islands continues to move towards a more agile, efficient and sustainable management model in all its territories, also in the most remote ones”.
The president of the Cabildo, Lola García, stressed “the importance of innovation always being at the service of the people who live here and our environment, so from the Cabildo we thank the Government of the Canary Islands for the implementation of a pioneering project that will not only strengthen surveillance and security on the coasts, but also the detection of any risk that may endanger our environment and biodiversity, in coordination with the City Council of La Oliva”.
Garcia recalled that “Fuerteventura is a reference in public service missions using new technologies, thanks to the initiatives that are promoted from the Technology Park, so it is always good news that such projects continue to be established in our island”.
With an initial duration of 12 months, the service will not only cover municipal needs, but will also be able to move resources to other municipalities on the island in case of emergency in order to test the viability of the innovative program on the island.
