Of the three underwater drones owned by LAS, one is used for training and two are in operation, one in east London and the other in west London.
Barton said the new technology was helping their teams, particularly in the summer when the risks of the capital’s waterways increase in hot weather.
The specialist paramedic explained that when water temperatures were higher, crews had less time to rescue someone from drowning, due to the way the body’s organs continued to operate when submerged.
Conversely, in water under 6C, the cold water rapidly cools the brain. When cold, the brain requires less oxygen and it can tolerate the lack of blood flow for a much longer period.
Barton said this meant that in cooler water, their team had about 90 minutes to complete a rescue, compared to 30 minutes when the water was warmer.
This time limit refers to complete submersion and not the immediate dangers of cold water shock and hypothermia that can also occur in cold water.
“It’s absolutely imperative that we can get this [drone] in the water as quickly as possible to try and rescue as many people as we can,” he said.
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