A Los Angeles City Council committee voted Tuesday to allow the department to start seeking Federal Aviation Administration authorization to use “unmanned aerial systems,” despite objections from groups concerned about privacy rights. That decision now heads to the entire council for approval.

“I think there’s a tremendous opportunity to save lives,” said Councilman Mitch Englander, who has championed the idea.

Fire officials say no drones will be launched, however, until the Board of Fire Commissioners and the City Council approve a policy outlining how they can be used. The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California has already raised concerns about draft guidelines, saying they do not go far enough to address “serious privacy concerns.”

The money will be used to give the Fire Department new integrated software to better track and monitor relevant information as firefighters head into emergency situations.

“Say there’s a business in town that has highly flammable materials,” Firefighter Nick Bruno explained to Polito. “We can enter those materials. Certain things, when they’re on fire, you can’t put water on them, where that would make it worse. We can enter all that so we can start to pre-plan what we’re going to do in our head on the ride there.”

The software can also include floor plans and tell responders if someone at a residence is a known fall risk or has a lockbox they’ll need to access.

Though smaller in weight, Rescue 1 packs much more in terms of resources. It can pump 2,000 gallons per minute and carry 750 gallons of water in addition to a 10-gallon foam reservoir.

Paid for through the City of Weslaco’s Apparatus Replacement Program, 25 percent of which is funded through the department’s EMS revenues, the 2017 Ferrara MVP (multi-vocational pumper) is also designed for full-disciplined response. This, according to Fire Chief Antonio Lopez, means that it comes equipped with every aspect of municipal emergency operations, including trench, high-angle and confined space rescues as well as dive, HAZMAT and medical treatment capabilities.