First responders

Nokia’s 5G-connected drones are all set to blanket Belgium. The Finnish drone platform has been selected by Belgium’s Citymesh in a deal that would see automated drones quickly reaching emergency sites after 911 calls come in and gather critical aerial data for first responders.

Drone public safety and emergency program consultancy Skyfire is taking a major step beyond its habitual advisory activities to police and fire departments by offering its own drone first responder (DFR) services as an outsourced solution to assembling in-house UAV units.

An FAA UAS test site in North Dakota is preparing drones to support response efforts after Governor Doug Burgum declared a statewide emergency for spring flooding.

Belgian communications and connectivity specialist Citymesh has announced the launch of what it calls the world’s first nationwide network of public safety drones ready to begin onsite data collection and reconnaissance work as soon as 911 calls come in for police and firefighter help.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has authorized the Pearland Police Department in Texas to operate its drones as first responders beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) without any visual observers.

Drone safe navigation tech specialist Iris Automation will be supplying UAV services company Flying Lion with its ground-based Casia G and detect and avoid system to permit faster deployment of urgent first responder missions by client police departments.

Specialized drone and tactical products maker BRINC is expanding its line of tech designed for emergency responders, public safety services, police, firefighting, and disaster units with today’s release of the LEMUR 2 UAV, whose range of cutting-edge capabilities has been conceived to reduce the danger posed to the lives of people working to save others.

Public safety drone consultancy Skyfire and UAV automation platform VOTIX are coming together in a new partnership to enable more public safety agencies to navigate FAA regulations and start their own Drone as First Responder (DFR) programs.

Canadian UAV hardware and software company Draganfly has reinforced its emphatic support of Ukraine in its battle against invading Russian forces with the delivery of the first of three Situational Assessment Drones for the nation’s emergency and rescue units.

Israeli Police have successfully conducted a trial where drones served as first responders to incidents in two suburbs of Tel Aviv with a combined population of around 154,000 residents.

Swedish startup Everdrone has gotten the all-clear to extend its life-saving First on Scene Solutions activity using drones to speed automated external defibrillators (AED) and provide other support to first responders in Sweden’s vast Västra Götaland county.

Global drone and photography giant DJI is alerting clients of a new software upgrade for its enterprise and first responder Matrice 30 series, including associated accessories and apps.

Drones can be incredibly effective at finding missing persons since they can scan a large area quickly. But did you know there are several variables that can impact a drone’s ability during a search and rescue (SAR) mission?

Tampa Bay drone and robotic services company FLYMOTION has joined the expanding list of homegrown and national businesses and emergency responder organizations now hard at work to locate and care for survivors, and assist large areas of southwest Florida start recovering from the devastating passage of Hurricane Ian.

Miami-based Airborne Response says it has completed more than 500 drone flights in Florida in the last few days on behalf of its customers. The drone company is working with critical infrastructure providers to help assess damage, restore power, and process insurance claims in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian.

Specialized UAV consulting firm Skyfire has formed a partnership with drone management and collaboration software specialist DroneSense to offer public safety agencies a range of packages designed to facilitate the launch of first responder small craft programs.

The Odessa Police Department in western Texas says it has received authorization from the FAA to launch the largest public safety Drone as a First Responder (DFR) program in the United States. The department is now ready to conduct a year-long pilot program, exploring the advantages of an eye in the sky during public safety initiatives.

Specialized security and tactical drone manufacturer BRINC has launched its Global Rescue Network, which will assist and support humanitarian efforts and disaster response wherever they arise around the world.

California startup Realtime Robotics is introducing a portable, relatively heavy-lift drone called Hera that the company says beats rivals as a situational awareness asset for first responders, as well as a munitions delivery device for security and defense forces. As such it also sounds like something likely to find numerous takers in Ukraine just now.

SkyeBrowse, a reality capture platform that can convert your DJI or Autel drone video into a 3D model at the speed of coffee, was launched only in 2020, but it has already saved law enforcement departments in the US over 50,000 hours of manpower and $5 million in accident reconstruction. As the startup celebrates its recent $2.3 million seed round with a spate of hirings, let’s retrace its backstory to see how “the fastest and easiest drone reality capture platform in the world” came into being.

Specialized Atlanta-based UAV consulting firm Skyfire is itself launching into aerial action with the release of its SF2 drone, which is designed and manufactured specifically for public safety and critical sector operators.