Wagga firies take part in the state's regional remotely-piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) training program

The local team is currently finishing up its remotely-piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) training program, which will give them a licence to fly drones across the Riverina skies, and they've recently taken ownership of their very own drone.

Wagga Fire and Rescue Inspector Daryl Mason said the new skills will allow our firefighters to assist in a range of different emergency situations, such as missing persons, floods and, of course, fires.

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"It will probably 75 per cent of the time be requested by other services," Inspector Mason said.

"Certainly bushfire, flood clean-up, rapid damage assessments ... chemical spills, identifying certain chemicals instead of having to put crews in there."

"The more time you spend with it the more ways you come up with to use it."

The training is part of the state's regional RPAS program, a major response to the NSW Bushfire Inquiry.

About 20 drones are being deployed across the state, including at Albury, Denilliquin and Narrandera.

Justin Clarke, station manager with the NSW Fire and Rescue's aviation section, said the drones have been strategically placed across the state and it gives NSW firefighters the ability to get ahead of evolving emergencies.

"It gives you that additional situational awareness, it gives you that extra layer of information," he said.

They will give commanders the ability to make better, more informed decisions, he said, while keeping crews out of harm's way where possible.

Station manager Clarke has deployed the drones in blazes across the state and in the recently flood-affected areas, and he has also helped the EPA with disaster clean-ups, such as in the 2019-20 bushfires.

The team would map an area with the drone to determine how much debris and hazardous materials were in the affected areas and that information was broken down by the EPA to help plan clean-up strategies.

"Hundreds of properties were destroyed by fire and all that material has to go somewhere ... so, they could actually gauge how much they were dealing with, it took a lot of the guess work out of it," he said.

The intense training takes seven days and allows operators to fly the $10,000 drones up to 120 metres in the air, around airports and military bases, and also to fly the drones at night, all things not available to the public.

And, much like airline pilots, they must fly at least once every 90 days to stay accredited.

"It's just another asset we've got, another tool... to help the community in any way we can," Inspector Mason said.

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