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Is it more expensive? Hiring lots more lifeguards for an entire summer is seriously expensive. I'm having a hard time imagining how a couple of drone operator

Is it more expensive? Hiring lots more lifeguards for an entire summer is seriously expensive. I'm having a hard time imagining how a couple of drone operators plus the drones is more expensive than, say, 20 more lifeguards. Not to mention the drones do things that lifeguards can't do, like search operations and shark detection.

righthand 2y ago
Because the program is run by the NYPD, so already high cost. Who purchase the drones from some contractor at most likely elevated cost. This doesn’t account for all the training costs on specialized equipment. Hiring life guards for a few months is a drop in the bucket that has proven more results than drones dropping a raft operated by an organization that doesn’t even teach CPR.
- crazygringo 2y ago
  > Hiring life guards for a few months is a drop in the bucket Where do you get that idea? Lifeguards aren't cheap. You don't just need two -- you need 20, 40, whatever. That's major money. On the other hand, the drone operators are similarly only for the same few months. Again, this idea that a couple of drone operators and equipment costs more than, say, 20 or more full-time lifeguards doesn't make any sense. These are just drones. They're not missiles that cost $100K apiece or something where you go through several a week.
  - righthand 2y ago
    [0] NYC drones fleet continues to expand The NYPD paid $87,750 in June for a Lemur 2 drone manufactured by Seattle-based drone company BRINC That was just for two drones one year ago. The NYPD has many more than 2 drones. That doesn’t include operator salaries, benefits, training, etc. Furthermore there is no reason why the NYPD needs to be the one budgeting and handling this at all. This is just another land grab by a very bloated and out of control crony organization. [0] https://gothamist.com/news/the-nypd-is-using-drones-3-times-more-than-it-did-last-year https://gothamist.com/news/the-nypd-is-using-drones-3-times-...
  - rasz 2y ago
    >These are just drones. They're not missiles that cost $100K apiece Well https://www.twz.com/air/rogue-1-is-one-of-the-marine-corps-newest-kamikaze-drone https://www.twz.com/air/rogue-1-is-one-of-the-marine-corps-n... https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineRussiaReport/comments/1colo0n/ru_pov_us_marines_bought_127_100000_kamikaze/ https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineRussiaReport/comments/1colo0... Meanwhile Ukrainians are DIYing similar drones (including thrmal vision and up to 40km range) for under $1K.
kjkjadksj 2y ago
I would think a drone operator and service contracts are a lot more expensive than a lifeguards hourly
- crazygringo 2y ago
  Sure but it's not 1 to 1, that's the point. I would think it would be cheaper on an hourly basis than twenty lifeguards, or more. These are big beaches. That's what we're talking about.
kimixa 2y ago
Effective life guards often need to be well trained and physically selective, and observant and not distracted over a pretty long time. Hiring untrained, minimum wage teenagers may tick the box of "Has life guard", but not necessarily "/Effective/ life guard" So, is it really cheaper to "just get more effective life guards?"

righthand 2y ago

Because the program is run by the NYPD, so already high cost. Who purchase the drones from some contractor at most likely elevated cost. This doesn’t account for all the training costs on specialized equipment. Hiring life guards for a few months is a drop in the bucket that has proven more results than drones dropping a raft operated by an organization that doesn’t even teach CPR.

crazygringo 2y ago
> Hiring life guards for a few months is a drop in the bucket Where do you get that idea? Lifeguards aren't cheap. You don't just need two -- you need 20, 40, whatever. That's major money. On the other hand, the drone operators are similarly only for the same few months. Again, this idea that a couple of drone operators and equipment costs more than, say, 20 or more full-time lifeguards doesn't make any sense. These are just drones. They're not missiles that cost $100K apiece or something where you go through several a week.
- righthand 2y ago
  [0] NYC drones fleet continues to expand The NYPD paid $87,750 in June for a Lemur 2 drone manufactured by Seattle-based drone company BRINC That was just for two drones one year ago. The NYPD has many more than 2 drones. That doesn’t include operator salaries, benefits, training, etc. Furthermore there is no reason why the NYPD needs to be the one budgeting and handling this at all. This is just another land grab by a very bloated and out of control crony organization. [0] https://gothamist.com/news/the-nypd-is-using-drones-3-times-more-than-it-did-last-year https://gothamist.com/news/the-nypd-is-using-drones-3-times-...
- rasz 2y ago
  >These are just drones. They're not missiles that cost $100K apiece Well https://www.twz.com/air/rogue-1-is-one-of-the-marine-corps-newest-kamikaze-drone https://www.twz.com/air/rogue-1-is-one-of-the-marine-corps-n... https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineRussiaReport/comments/1colo0n/ru_pov_us_marines_bought_127_100000_kamikaze/ https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineRussiaReport/comments/1colo0... Meanwhile Ukrainians are DIYing similar drones (including thrmal vision and up to 40km range) for under $1K.

kjkjadksj 2y ago

I would think a drone operator and service contracts are a lot more expensive than a lifeguards hourly

crazygringo 2y ago
Sure but it's not 1 to 1, that's the point. I would think it would be cheaper on an hourly basis than twenty lifeguards, or more. These are big beaches. That's what we're talking about.

kimixa 2y ago

Effective life guards often need to be well trained and physically selective, and observant and not distracted over a pretty long time. Hiring untrained, minimum wage teenagers may tick the box of "Has life guard", but not necessarily "/Effective/ life guard" So, is it really cheaper to "just get more effective life guards?"