Skyfire launches its new drone as part of a first responder program

Public safety drone consultancy Skyfire has announced its brand-new drone as part of a first responder (DFR) program for public safety agencies and first responders. The program aims to reduce response times, provide situational awareness, and increase efficiency.

Skyfire has vast experience working with drones and public safety agencies. In 2019, the company worked with the Chula Vista Police Department (CVPD) to equip San Diego with drone technology.

It was also the first consultancy to receive FAA approval for the nation’s first active emergency response certificate of authorization (COA) with a beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) provision for public safety as part of the FAA’s IPP program.

This allowed the CVPD to expand its drone operations to a 40-square-mile area, which was previously only 4 square miles.

Matt Sloane, Skyfire founder and CEO said:

DFR programs like Chula Vista’s have proven to be a much more streamlined way to ensure drone coverage over active incidents. In our effort to always stay ahead of technology and regulations, we look forward to helping many more agencies adopt these types of programs and keep both responders and citizens safe.

The DFR program from Skyfire consists of five main pillars or key factors: equipment, training, FAA consulting, software, and program operation.

Equipment: Skyfire provides all sorts of drones to suit specific needs. It will work with the agency to see what they require and what the budget is. From there, a drone/s will be selected for use.

Software: Once the equipment has been chosen, it’s time to select the software to use alongside it. Skyfire once again will walk the agency through the options and figure out what the best is and what works best with the drones chosen.

Training: One of the most important steps is training the public agency to safely fly the drones and stay in line with airspace rules. Skyfire also offers advanced courses for specialized agencies such as SWAT operations, accident reconstruction, and evidence collection.

Program Operation: Skyfire will work with the agency to find the best operational program to suit its needs. If it doesn’t have enough staff to fly a drone it can get a third party pilot in to help out. In this case a live feed is sent to the public safety agency for better situational awareness.

FAA Consulting: Skyfire also provides FAA-related services such as helping pilots to get their Part 107 certification all the way to jurisdictional COAs and tactical beyond visual line of sight (TBVLOS) waivers. So far, Skyfire has filed over 400 traditional COAs in partnership with agencies all across the country.

Photo: Skyfire