Skyfire aids Fremont launch nation’s ‘first’ joint fire-police responder drone unit

The San Francisco East Bay Area city of Fremont is launching what is being hailed as the nation’s first drone responder program operated jointly by municipal police and fire forces, in an effort backed by specialized UAV operation, training, and security consultancy partner Skyfire.

While officially a new entity, the purportedly precedent-setting joint program in Fremont doesn’t come out of the blue. The city’s police and fire services operated a trial program from November 2022 through January 2023, during which it was tested for effectiveness in a number of first responder scenarios. Based on that experience, the city council voted on February 13 to approve the permanent operation of the unit, using Skyfire’s work as an advisor to public safety organizations and private businesses across the US to guide the project.

Though no official start date for Fremont’s new police-fire drone first responder program was specified, it’s presumably ready to launch as soon as any lingering details are ironed out. To that end, Skyfire says it will be working to facilitate successful navigation of community engagement, regulatory support – including attainment of beyond visual line of site authorization – and training to enhance public safety and emergency response times.

According to the partners, the live program will – like the test run – use certified pilots to operate first responder drones for Fremont police and fire forces, deploying them from fixed spots when emergency calls come in. 

The speed of the craft will allow them to reach sites far faster than ground vehicles, and live-stream video to provide officials critical real-time situational awareness of accident sites, crime scenes, conflict situations, or evolving fires.

The official program will receive a boost the trial run did not enjoy with the recruitment of Fremont’s Washington Hospital Healthcare System. The organization as agreed to allow the rooftop of its centrally located building to serve as a launch site for first responder drones answering police and fire calls, expanding the program’s reach and response capabilities.

“We’re proud to work with Skyfire to launch this groundbreaking DFR program,” said Jeff Kleven battalion chief of the Fremont Fire Department. “This program has the potential to save lives and make our community safer, and Skyfire’s expertise has been invaluable in getting us to this point.”

Public safety and municipal administrations interested in jump-starting similar drone programs might look into Skyfire’s turnkey first responder solution, which provides the full array of information, training, hardware, operational strategies, and administrative support needed to get them in the air.