In November 2019 the village of Fishlake, near Doncaster in South Yorkshire, gained national attention when the River Don overtopped following days of exceptional rainfall. More than 170 homes and businesses were inundated, with floodwater covering roads, fields and properties across a wide area of the Don Valley. The scale and speed of the flooding created significant challenges for emergency services attempting to navigate and prioritise their response across unfamiliar, submerged terrain.

Hummingbird Technical Services deployed immediately, capturing immersive 360° panoramic drone imagery across the affected area and making it available to South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue as an operational planning tool. The interactive tour allowed crew commanders to virtually navigate the flood zone, identify access routes, assess water depth across different areas, and pinpoint the most effective locations for pumping operations all before committing crews and equipment to the ground.

The practical value of the imagery was confirmed directly by the operational team on the ground:

“I have to say it has been really beneficial being able to use the drone footage especially the 360 aerial shots. For an emergency service this one was really key — I have used it to brief crews which has allowed us to get to locations much quicker and help people. It has also helped us target the best locations for pumping operations. Thank you again.”

Steve Jeffries, South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue

The Fishlake deployment demonstrated the immediate operational value of 360° drone imagery in emergency response scenarios providing a shared, navigable picture of a rapidly evolving situation that static photography or conventional mapping cannot replicate. The interactive tour is embedded below and remains publicly accessible as a record of the event.