Field Methods to Quantify Emergency Responder Fatigue: Lessons Learned from sUAS Deployment at the 2018 Kilauea...

Area of Science:

• Disaster response operations
• Human factors in aviation
• Remote sensing technology

Background:

• Small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) are increasingly utilized in disaster and incident response.
• Assessing pilot performance and well-being is critical for effective sUAS operations during emergencies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the vigilance and physiological states of sUAS pilots during a real-world disaster response.
• To identify challenges in collecting performance and fatigue data in field conditions.

Main Methods:

• Field data collection over four days during the 2018 Kilauea Volcano Lower East Rift Zone event.
• Utilized a 3-minute psychomotor vigilance test (PVT) and wrist-worn heart rate sensors.
• Observed pilot participation and data collection feasibility.

Main Results:

• sUAS pilots did not recover to baseline vigilance or physiological levels during the response.
• Logistical constraints of the PVT test led to some pilots discontinuing participation.
• Pilots did not provide subjective workload ratings.

Conclusions:

• Collecting performance and physiological data during active disaster response presents significant challenges.
• The study highlights the need for optimized methods to assess pilot fatigue in operational environments.
• Understanding these limitations is crucial for improving safety and effectiveness of sUAS in disaster scenarios.