On Wednesday, Jan. 24, more than 150 police officers, firefighters and other emergency responders attended a free workshop for public safety agencies that have already, or would like to soon, incorporate UAS into their operations.

Hosted by the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s (NCDOT) Division of Aviation Unmanned Aerial Systems Program Office, the program included scenario-based live flight demonstrations, as well as a panel discussion of current regulations and presentations from agencies that have already began taken advantage of this technology.

“Drones are another tool that public safety agencies can have in their tool belt to help make their operations safer and more efficient,” says Basil Yap, UAS Program Manager for NCDOT. 

“Attendees of our workshop should now have a better understanding of the possible applications for drone technology, and what it takes to effectively implement drones into their operations.”

According to NCDOT, law enforcement, fire fighters and EMS across the state have already started using UAS to save lives, so NCDOT wants to bring these various agencies together to “share how this emerging technology can be included in their operations.”

Since 2017, NCDOT has hosted five UAS workshops across the state, with this workshop being the first of 2018. The next workshop is expected to take place over two days in April, in Nags Head, North Carolina.