VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Drones have become a key part of operations for fire departments across the country. However, recent stories about them have put their use into a more negative light — from all the drones being spotted hovering near military bases, to one recently striking a firefighting plane in Los Angeles. That's why the Virginia Beach Fire Department is demonstrating why this technology has become so important. "The drone has become a great asset for situational awareness for our command, said VBFD Master Firefighter and drone pilot John McMahon. "Our drones respond to all structure fires, marine incidents, drownings, HAZMAT and technical calls, missing children cases as well as brush fires in the county," McMahon said. Oftentimes, these drones are the very first responder. "Whenever we have an incident, we can fly the drone and go ahead and start streaming instantly back to the command post so they can see what exactly is going on," McMahon said. Like doing a 360 of the structure to locate victims, thermal cameras are used to find hot spots and get that information back to command personnel. But they're not just for firefighting. They come in handy for water rescues, and first responders can even communicate through the drone to those in need. "We can talk directly to them through the speaker on the drone, no matter how far away the drone," McMahon said. "As long as we have signal to the drone, they can hear us talking to them and we can find out if there's anyone missing, any injuries, if everyone's accounted for." They can even drop a flotation device. "We can drop the rescue stick down to them to at least hold on to until definitive rescue, whether it's EMS, police or fire boats, arrive on scene," McMahon said. Those are just a handful of the uses. In 2024, drones were used in close to 1,000 emergency calls. They have also been cost-effective, saving money, man hours and resources that could be used elsewhere. And while only the future knows what capabilities these devices have in store, rescue services in Virginia Beach know the sky is the limit.