EMC Insurance Cos., with headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa, recently entered into an agreement with additional local firms InfraDrone LLC and Jester Insurance Services to provide inspections by drones to protect building integrity.

The three-way alliance will allow EMC to access data collected by drones equipped with infrared sensors. Using special thermography cameras, the airborne crafts can acquire heat measurements from building roofs that, in turn, inform experts on the ground about unusual moisture levels indicative of roof damage.

EMC has already begun infrared-enabled drone surveillance of the Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Community School District’s 32 schools. The district’s risk consultant, Cassie Daley, commended the preventive approach, saying the technology may help avoid losses as well as detect previously unidentified problem areas.

EMC’s loss control department engineer Richard Effler observed that drone usage is becoming increasingly common among insurance vendors, who rely on the advantages of aerial surveillance for a number of purposes.

“Drones are quickly becoming more and more prevalent in the insurance industry, and EMC is right in the middle of the action,” Effler said. “Over the last 12 months, EMC has made great strides in using drones to document property. We look forward to completing our current pilot project and opening up drone usage to more of our policyholders.”