Perspectives on the Use of UAVs Within Swedish Emergency Response: Future Prospects and Challenges

Abstract

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are important resources in Swedish fire and rescue service organizations (FRS). This study aims to review the current use of UAVs in FRS by gathering insights from end users. This will provide a basis for modeling and evaluation of future systems. Five representatives from different parts of Swedish FRS were interviewed so far, and the material was evaluated based on a framework analysis method, resulting in perspectives on operational, organizational, and societal levels on current use, future use, and challenges. The results show that UAVs are common for improving situational awareness through camera footage. Challenges exist in that there is no joint methodology of usage, which may hinder collaboration between organizations. Further, the analytical skills of the pilot and the incident commander are important for effective use. Automating tasks such as visual analysis could reduce the workload and relieve resources for other tasks.