What if your next 911 call was answered by a drone? Ohio has just launched the nation’s first statewide Drone First Responder (DFR) program, a two-year pilot designed to test how drones can reach emergency scenes faster, provide live aerial views to dispatchers, and ultimately help save lives.
Created under Ohio House Bill 96 and managed by SkyfireAI in partnership with CAL Analytics, the program marks a major leap forward for public safety — one that could soon ripple across the country.
“Ohio’s statewide DFR program isn’t just a first — it’s the blueprint,” said Don Mathis, cofounder and CEO of SkyfireAI. “By unifying policy, training, and technology under one roof, Ohio is making DFR accessible to every community, especially rural departments that could never justify a standalone program. This is how we scale safe autonomy, save minutes, and save lives.”
Unlike city-specific programs in places like Chula Vista and El Paso, Ohio’s effort spans the entire state. Over the next two years, drones will be tested across law enforcement, fire, and EMS agencies to see how well they can cut response times and improve situational awareness.
Lawmakers say it’s not just about technology; it’s about lives.
“Ohio is proving once again that we are the HOME of aviation and at the forefront of aviation innovation,” says State Representative Bernie ‘Bunyan’ Willis, Chair of the Ohio House Transportation Committee. “This program is not just about technology — it’s about saving lives and setting the standard for the rest of the nation.”
Through its DriveOhio initiative and UAS Center, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) has long been pushing the boundaries of aviation technology. Since 2013, it’s helped position the state as a national testbed for drone integration.
“By launching the nation’s first statewide Drone First Responder initiative, we are not only giving first responders tools to save lives and protect communities, but also setting a model for how states can safely integrate drone technology at scale,” says Richard Fox, director of the DriveOhio UAS Center.
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SkyfireAI’s role in Ohio’s statewide 911 drone response
As program manager, SkyfireAI will coordinate everything from vendor partnerships and FAA compliance to training first responders and installing rooftop drone systems.
The company’s no stranger to high-stakes deployments; it has helped launch municipal DFR programs, run medical drone deliveries with CVS Health, and support disaster response efforts. Now, SkyfireAI’s sights are set on scaling the model statewide, and beyond.
“SkyfireAI is actively developing the next generation of autonomy and AI to support multi-ship DFR operations,” says Justin McCarthy, VP of Partnerships at SkyfireAI. “Our goal is to extend these capabilities to communities of every size, especially rural areas that may not have the resources to sustain traditional drone programs.”
The future could see a single operator — or eventually, no human pilot at all — managing multiple drones simultaneously, providing 24/7 aerial coverage for emergencies.
CAL Analytics, the program’s lead integrator, is ensuring these drones operate safely. The company is building the nation’s first statewide Uncrewed Traffic Management (UTM) system, which acts like an air traffic control for drones, preventing conflicts and maintaining situational awareness through a statewide sensor network.
Over the next two years, participating Ohio communities will receive cutting-edge drone systems, FAA-approved Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) permissions, and data-driven training. The goal? To prove that drone first responders aren’t just futuristic; they’re feasible, reliable, and life-saving.
As SkyfireAI’s Mathis puts it, “This program really is the beginning of something big for public safety and communities of all sizes.”
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