28-02-2025
How Chinese-manufactured DJI drone ban hinders Kingsport Fire Department's search and rescue efforts
KINGSPORT, Tenn. (WJHL) – The Kingsport Fire Department (KFD) currently uses a DJI drone to assist in many search and rescue efforts, and it proved invaluable during and after Hurricane Helene. However, due to a Tennessee ban on purchasing DJI drones, their operations are now impacted, as they lost a drone during the hurricane.
KFD Captain Chris Lowe said their swift water team was sent to assist Johnson City's team in Washington County during Helene.
'We actually used the drones to search the debris piles, to look for victims or any survivors, anything like that,' Lowe said. 'Once we got out there and were able to get a bigger view of what all we had, we realized then that we were going to need more manpower and actually more drone teams and more aircraft.'
Lowe said they used drones to assist in the Helene aftermath for over two weeks in Washington and Unicoi counties. He said the use of drones helped speed up initial search missions.
However, one of their two drones hit a tree limb and was knocked into a river. With the ban of the Chinese manufactured DJI drones, they won't be able to replace it with the same model.
'It was an older drone, but we had about $15 to $1,800, I think is what our initial package was, the DJI drone,' Lowe said. 'To replace that, we've gotten some quotes of around $8,000. So that's the difference. It's a DJI clone. From my understanding, talking to the salesperson, it doesn't have the full capabilities that the DJI has.'
Lowe said the model they are looking at purchasing is Vietnamese made.
When the ban was enacted in 2023, national security concerns were the main reason.
News Channel 11 reached out to the Law Enforcement Drone Association (LEDA) about the ban.
Jon Beal, LEDA's President and CEO, said there have been multiple independent studies on DJI and its platforms related to cyber security.
'We have not seen one report that states that information is leaked, unnecessarily or inadvertently from any of the technology when in 'local data mode.' Again, we are not shells or trying to promote one product over another, we're just trying to be factual and allow our members to make their own choices instead of the government making it for them on the word of lobbyists and associations that do not have the best interest of public safety and the community in mind, but dollars instead.'
Jon Beal, LEDA President and CEO
Beal said that LEDA is conducting side-by-side comparisons of drones to help identify similar quality drones to DJI.
'States do not have to ban platforms if they're worried about cyber security,' Beal said. 'Instead, they can mandate what we call an 'air gap' where agencies use third-party software to fly drones from any country and have no data sent back to any manufacturer, especially outside of the U.S. This is being done with agencies across the country already, and is a viable solution for the state of Tennessee, instead of banning platforms. That way agencies can still use the best tech out there, but still be cyber secure.'
Beal said DJI is currently suing the federal government over the commerce list that they were placed on, which prohibits agencies in Tennessee from buying their drones.
He believes the legislation that bans purchasing these drones limits the safety of communities which local public safety agencies serve.
The KFD often uses their DJI-drone for mapping, to help with brush fires and to help locate missing people, like those diagnosed with dementia.
'If there's missing children or anything like that, we'll take them [the drones],' Lowe said. 'We'll make a map of the area where we have the ability to do that in live time to actually see what we have and mark off our areas and our coordinates there that way.'
KFD's DJI drone also has thermal heat sensing capabilities.
Lowe said they prefer having two drones as their current larger one is better with zoom, while their lost smaller one was better with mapping.
'I don't necessarily disagree with the ban,' Lowe said. 'It just does put a burden on the cities and rescue groups and the public services trying to use that. There's not very many good alternatives that aren't Chinese made. That's if we could get more competition in the market, I think that would really help.'
However, Lowe does hope that the ban gets lifted. He said he's talked with Beal about LEDA's efforts to help public safety agencies with drones.
'But mainly we just want to make sure we have what we need, to do the job we need to do,' Lowe said.
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