BUFFALO (WBEN) - Back in 2019, the City of Buffalo issued an RFP to implement drone technology in the building inspection process, but legal issues and the pandemic slowed everything down.
Mayor Byron Brown announced Friday that the process finally moved forward, and the city has selected EagleHawk as the company to partner with in implementing this project.
"We know that there are problem properties in different areas of our city - in our downtown, in different neighborhoods," said Brown. "Some of those properties represent a hazard in some cases to the surrounding community, but they also represent a hazard for building inspectors getting to roofs and other high places on some of these structures safely.
"That problem is now going to be solved with drone technology."
Jim Comerford serves as commissioner for the city's Department of Permits and Inspection Services. He explained that several city officials attended various presentations regarding the drone technology over the past couple years.
"After everything we saw, we said, 'We have to do this,'" said Comerford. "The buildings are older around here; we need to get up higher; our inspectors can't do it. We've actually had the assistance of the fire department in going up in their ladder extensions - it's just not safe.
"This is going to provide a safe way of inspecting buildings all the way around, on to roofs, and we're really excited about this," he continued. "It's not a huge expense to be quite honest with you, and it's worth it because it can save lives and save buildings also."
Brown noted that this program is already in the city budget, and they will begin using the drone technology immediately.
However, any time drones are mentioned or used by government, the worry over privacy instantly goes to the forefront.
"With drone technology, obviously privacy was a concern early on, but as people have seen the transformational benefits to drone technology, they can see how it's used as a tool to help and provide value more than a concern," said EagleHawk CEO Patrick Walsh. "Drone technology falls under any other privacy law. Bad actors do bad things, but in the case of this technology, our mission is to find issues and help the city."
