First Responders have been around for a long amount of time. Many of them include firefighters, paramedics, police, and many more that are legally organized.
A First Responder is the first person with specialized medical training to arrive and provide help at the scene of an emergency.
With the help of these people, the United States has been the first to step in and take this to another level.
Drones are now being used as First Responders to help save the lives of more people. These unmanned aircraft not only help the person in an emergency, but the authorities too.
These drones search for missing people and suspects. They help capture evidence at crime scenes.
DroneResponders is a non-profit program created to connect emergency managers, new first responders, and rescue specialists under a unified organization to help train, learn, and test with one another to maximize drone operations for public safety. This program is led by Chief Charles Werner.
The benefits of having a drone as a first responder are by far endless; drones can fly quickly to the scene of an emergency. These aircraft provide real-time aerial footage and data to first responders.
Drones with thermal cameras and other sensors can also locate a missing person in search-and-rescue operations. Not only that but drones can transport essential medical equipment at speed or in inaccessible areas.
Another program, called the Drones as First Responders (DFR), is working on sending Drones in emergency conditions. There are at least 15 DFR programs in the US operating with a BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) waiver from the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration).
First responder drones help support the safety of (human) first responders and their critical work.
One of the DFR programs includes Skydio.
“The speed to get it up in the air, the distance it can go, the thermal and the lights- these are all crime-fighting tools.” Says NYPD Chief of Patrol, John Chell.
Texas, Florida, and Tennessee have expanded allowable drone uses for law enforcement agencies and first responders. They are the first three to legally allow these drones to be used in emergencies.
As time evolves, so does the help with first responders.
Police are now using drones to help them in 911 situations. They control the drone and fly it over to the location.
Another DFR program is The Chula Vista PD.
These programs help increase the safety of first responders such as police officers, EMTS, and paramedics.
This process is pretty simple; as soon as an incident is reported to 911, a remote operator deploys a drone directly to the scene. From there, the drone gathers information and video footage with the sensor attached to it. This helps authorities collect details from the scene.
The Hemet Police Department has already been a part of using drones as first responders. This program, as they state, provides “airborne support to police operations in a safe, responsible, and transparent manner to preserve the peace, reduce response times, and increase the quality of life in the city of Hemet.”
The city of Hemet, located in California, is just one of the few cities to use drones as a part of safety.
Police drones are operated by FAA-certified and licensed operators. The Burbank Police Department has six operators, all of whom are police officers. They are the only personnel authorized to operate the drones.
A simple definition of a DFR is a system of pre-positioned drones that respond immediately to emergencies. The cool thing about all this is that the drones have bird eyesight, where they can see the clear incident from afar.