County emergency agency buying drone for search/rescue operations

Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

A flying drone with a thermal imaging camera is being purchased by the Floyd County Emergency Management Agency to be available for search and rescue operations and other uses.

The purchase was discussed at a county supervisors planning session Monday morning, along with the question of whether proper procedures had been followed for the purchase.

Also at the meeting, the discussion of fireworks came up again and the county will go along with state law regarding when a new class of consumer fireworks can be shot off in rural areas of the county.

The drone is being purchased for a total price of $8,801. That includes $4,338 for the drone, controllers, battery charger, hard case and other equipment, $1,450 for training and $3,013 for the thermal imaging camera.

Emergency Management Director Lezlie Weber has already ordered the drone. She said it was not listed as a line item in this year’s Emergency Management Agency budget, but she had enough money left in the budget for the purchase.

County Auditor Gloria Carr said she thought the purchase should come to the county board because drones or cameras were never discussed for the current year’s budget.

Weber said she isn’t aware of purchasing policies for her department other than what is included in the agency bylaws, which require “big-item” purchases to be cleared through the Emergency Management Commission.

“The EMA budget is a little different from others; it rolls over,” Weber said.

Weber said a primary use of the drone will be for search and rescue operations. The addition of a thermal imaging camera will allow the drone to do searches at night. Weber said she would let other groups in the city and county know about the drone so it can be available for other approved uses.

Weber said she is sharing the training cost with Howard County, and the training is a three-day FAA-approved course that can include up to four people. She plans for deputies Chad Weber, Travis Bartz, herself and possibly another person from another department such as conservation to be trained.

Supervisors will discuss the purchase as part of the claims approval at the regular meeting Tuesday.

“I really have no problem with it,” Kamm said about the purchase. “It’s new technology. The thermal-imaging camera could be a really handy thing.”

Also at the meeting, Floyd County will still require permits for large commercial fireworks displays, but people will be able to shoot off consumer fireworks in rural areas during the dates outlined in a new state law.

County supervisors are taking a “wait and see” attitude toward Iowa’s new fireworks law making it legal to sell and use a category of fireworks that now includes firecrackers, rockets, roman candles, fountains, spinners and more.

While the new state fireworks law mandates that communities allow the sale of fireworks, it allows cities and counties to enact restrictions on when they can be used.

Some cities and counties are setting shorter legal shooting time periods, or outlawing the new fireworks entirely. For example, the Charles City Council has decided to modify a previous ordinance that outlaws using all but novelty fireworks such as snakes and sparklers.

Floyd County will likely go along with the new state law that allows shooting fireworks on private property from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on June 1 through July 8, and from Dec. 10 through Jan. 3.

The shooting time expands to 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. on July 4 and on the weekends before and after those dates, and from 9 a.m. Dec. 31 to 12:30 a.m. Jan. 1, and 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. on the weekends immediately before and after Jan. 1.

Chairman Doug Kamm was the only supervisor physically at the meeting Monday, as Supervisor Mark Kuhn was absent and Supervisor Linda Tjaden attended the meeting via phone to make up the necessary quorum.

The county will likely approve slight changes to the current fireworks ordinance that requires a county permit for large commercial displays. The changes are to keep the language in the ordinance consistent with the new state law.

If the board wants to enact a ban or change the legal shooting period it would need to do something more than just change the commercial permit ordinance, said County Auditor Carr.

“I’m getting calls all the time for clarification of this,” she said.

Kamm said, “After this period goes by you’re going to have six months to think about it before the next period comes up.”

Also announced at the meeting Monday:

• Benjamin Kosta has resigned as a Floyd County Deputy and Cody Van Horn has accepted a position as a deputy sheriff.

• Sara Noehl has accepted a position as area coordinator for Families Making Connections/Partners 4 Children Decat/Community Partnerships for Protecting Children. The salaried position pays $36,000 annually, with a possible salary review after a six-month probationary period.

• Danielle DeBower has been reappointed as the county attorney’s representative to the Civil Service Commission for a six-year term ending June 30, 2023.