LONG BRANCH — With drone technology advancing, the city is considering enlisting the robotic technology to supplement beach lifeguards.
During the June 23 City Council workshop meeting, Beach Manager Dan George said he has begun to research the possibility of using drones to assist lifeguards in rescues, identifying distressed swimmers or even locating sharks off-shore.
“These can predominately be used on unprotected beaches or off-hour beaches,” George said. “There is a lot of range in some of them, a mile or sometimes two out you will be able to get that person.”
George said the drones could also assist lifeguards during windy, rough surf or redflag days, when swimming is not permitted.
Stan Dzuiba, director of the office of emergency management, said the use of drone technology for a beach operation is still evolving.
“We have looked into these the last two weeks,” he said. “I can tell you right now they are in the developmental stage. Currently only California and Costa Rica have them in use.”
Council President Michael Sirianni said the drones are not intended to replace lifeguards, but rather as a tool to assist lifeguards.
“Why I was interested in this is not to cut back on lifeguards; this is a lifeguard’s tool,” he said. “It is getting out there, getting a life preserver or a floatation device out to the person and to keep an eye on the person until we get out there.
“It is not the end all. You need the lifeguard.”
George said another function for the drone is to detect where sharks are swimming to alert swimmers.
“We also can use it for shark sightings,” he said. “The drone can go up and down the coast and has a pretty good view where you could actually see the sharks swimming and know where they are and what type of shark they would be.”
George said the drones could have been used in the past to help make a save.
“Several years back, after we were looking for about an hour, you could possibly have used [a drone] because it has a pretty good range,” George said. “If the victim was 5-to-7 feet [beneath the surface] and the water was clear, we would possibly be able to see that victim.”
George said the tool could be particularly effective between 5 and 7 p.m. when the city has only a few beaches staffed with lifeguards, a practice that began after a pair of after-hours drownings in 2013.
According to George, the base model drone would cost about $1,300, but the models primarily being looked at range from $5,000 to $7,500.
George said that the city could customize the drones with different features to assist with the beach operation.
“One of the features we looked into that was important was a microphone and speaker,” he said. “You could actually talk to a person who was in the water.
“When I started to look into it and realized all the different uses, this is something I’m glad came to light. It is something that Stan and I are going to look into and possibly get a demonstration in the near future.”
Long Branch has 16 beaches: Seaview Avenue, Great Lawn, Madison Avenue, Laird Street, Chelsea Avenue, Melrose Terrace, Morris Avenue, Pavilion Avenue, North Bath Avenue, South Bath Avenue, Matilda Terrace, Cottage Place, West End, Brighton Avenue, New Court and Takanassee.
The beach season runs from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Last summer, the city broke revenue records for the beaches, taking in just under $2 million.
Sirianni said as the beach operation continues to grow, drones are something the city should look into.
“I think with the technology that is out there, we need to be on top of it,” he said. “We look at our beach and our tourist trade and anything that we can do to protect and give a better service to our guests on the beachfront, I think would be an added plus.
“I’m glad we are looking into it. Everything is moving into the modern age.”