The Niles Village Board accepted two grants from the Cook County Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management at its village board meeting on May 28.
The village secured two Urban Area Security Initiative Cook County Homeland Security Grants grants to cover the $84,000 cost of outfitting a recently acquired mobile command unit with state-of-the-art equipment, and $19,000 for two drones for the fire department.
The village’s application for the drones, filled out by Robert Greiner, the fire department’s deputy chief, said, “After the Highland Park Active Threat Incident, it became clear that Niles, with a population around 30,000 residents, has the potential for similar threats throughout the year.”
According to the application, the fire department currently owns an old and outdated drone that was donated by a resident. The drone is used to assist in threat responses, to search for people in a dog and drone rescue team, and monitor active fires. The drone has been used in collaboration with the police department for events as well, including parade routes and local festivals hosting more than 10,000 visitors.
“The impact of new drones will be immediate. We are hoping to use new drone technology, including collision avoidance, thermal imaging, photography, greater range and operational time, and object tracking to improve our operations and safety within Niles and the surrounding communities,” the application said.
The new drones, two Autel Robotics EVO Max 4T drones, will be used for search and rescue, firefighting, post-fire investigation, natural disaster response, hazardous materials incidents, pre-incident planning, and public relations and social media, according to Fire Chief Marty Feld. The application said neighboring departments can also use the drones to assist with fire management and suppression during an emergency.
Niles Police Deputy Chief Nick Zakula told Pioneer Press the mobile command unit will be used by the department for special events, critical incidents and other uses.
