Drones Are Here
Drones have entered into our culture at an alarming pace. AFA regulations pertaining to the use of drones have been implemented in the last few years. Media and marketing firms are using drones for every day operations. If you have watched the Winter Olympics this past February, you have seen how far drone technology has advanced in a short time.
With this advancing technology, the fire and rescue services has adopted the use of drones to save lives. We have seen this in action during Hurricane Matthew. High waters made it difficult for fire & rescue personnel to reach victims. Drones were deployed to give a quick size-up on the amount of victims that needed to be pulled from the rising waters.
Drones are also being used to monitor conditions at structure fires. Depending on the situation, structural integrity may be difficult to gauge from the ground. A quick deployment of a drone can give incident command a bird's eye view of the scene and provide a better view of the conditions from the sky.
Coverage Questions
In North Carolina, there have been questions on the liability and property issues associated with Drone use. Under the VFIS policy, "Unmanned Aircraft" coverage is added by endorsement to the property, liability, and excess policies.
According to the policy form, VGL320 (06/17):
“Unmanned aircraft“ means an aircraft weighing 15 pounds or less that is not:
a. Designed;
b. Manufactured; or
c. Modified after manufacture;
to be controlled directly by a person from within or on the aircraft.
“Unmanned aircraft” includes equipment used with such “unmanned aircraft”, provided such equipment is attached to or essential for its operation.
A sublimit on the property coverage form gives insureds a $25,000 limit for drones that are 15 pounds or less.
For more information about Drones and coverage with VFIS http://vfis.com/Newsletter-Winter-2015/Token/Info/ID/1291
Or call our office at 919-755-1401
