From Wildfires to Water Rescues: The Birth of Public Safety Drones with Chief Wayne Baker

Every major operational shift in public safety can be traced back to a call that forces perspective.

For Chief Wayne Baker, one of those calls came during a rare flood event. What was normally a quiet creek had become a dangerous river. Rescue boats were deployed. Crews searched visually along the waterline. Conditions were chaotic, and visibility was limited.

When the drone went up, everything changed.

The aircraft located victims positioned in a tree that rescuers could not see from the water. The drone guided boats directly to the location. Crews later reviewed the footage to confirm positioning before going back in. Fortunately, the individuals had self-extricated, but the outcome could have been very different. That moment demonstrated something powerful. Aerial overwatch was not supplemental. It was decisive.

Later, during a wildfire incident, another defining moment occurred. From the ground, the fire appeared to be progressing in a predictable direction. Once the drone was launched, Chief Baker saw something no one else could. The fire had wrapped in a U-shape around their position, creating a second head running parallel to the original.

Three homes were directly threatened.

Because units were still incoming, he was able to redirect resources immediately. Without that aerial view, those homes likely would have been lost. There is also the possibility that someone could have been inside.

These were not theoretical benefits. They were operational realities.

In this conversation, Chief Baker reflects on how incidents like these permanently shifted the internal dialogue within agencies. The early conversations were filled with questions. Why do we need a drone? Is this necessary? Is this worth the investment?

After water rescues and hidden fire heads, the tone changed.

Now, the question is simple. Why don’t you have one?

Part 1 of this episode captures the early inflection point of public safety drone programs. It is about experience, not hype. It is about what happens when technology intersects with responsibility and command-level decision-making.

What You'll Learn:

How aerial overwatch directly supported a flood rescue that ground crews could not visually manage
Why wildfire strategy changes when you can see the entire fire pattern in real time
How drones compress the time between uncertainty and decision
What shifted inside public safety agencies as real-world results replaced skepticism
Why drone programs are now viewed as infrastructure, not experimentation

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Episode Highlights:

[08:03 – 08:50] The First Water Rescue
Chief Baker describes how a drone located victims in a tree during a rare flooding event when boats could not visually identify them. The aircraft guided responders directly to the location, marking one of the earliest clear validations of drones in emergency response.
[44:44 – 45:26] The Hidden Fire Head
A wildfire wrapped into a U-shaped formation, creating a secondary advancing head that was invisible from the ground. The drone revealed the threat to three homes, allowing incoming units to be redirected in time.
[45:26 – 46:09] From “Why Drones?” to “Where’s My Drone?”
Chief Baker reflects on how repeated operational successes shifted agency culture from questioning the need for drones to expecting them on scene.