On Thursday, June 27, the Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) announced the first in a series of regional UAS Public Safety-focused workshops, which are presented by the Virginia Center for Unmanned Systems and the Office of the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security. Brian Moran, secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security, provided an overview of the state of UAS in the Commonwealth during the first workshop, which took place at the Virginia Public Safety Training Center in Hanover, Virginia. 

The workshops will seek to accomplish several things, including providing localities with the proper education on the rules and regulations regarding deploying UAS, outlining how to navigate a number of different FAA authorizations, addressing legal considerations, and determining the resources needed for local police, fire departments or other organizations with interests in public safety to establish UAS programs.

The workshops will also include case studies using UAS for risk assessments, search and rescue, and disaster response, to name a few.

“These workshops build relationships between local, state, and federal agencies to encourage public safety officials to collaborate on UAS initiatives,” says Tracy Tynan, director, The Virginia Center for Unmanned Systems at CIT.

“Bringing together communities to share ideas and support UAS expansion requires constant engagement, advocacy, and education from a broad range of players, from legislatures, to drone manufacturers, to pilots, to service providers and beyond. Education is a critical and key component for expanding and deploying UAS capabilities.”