On Tuesday, May 21, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve a Public Safety small UAS program in Fairfax County, Virginia.
First Responders
First Responders
Alpha Unmanned Systems' Alpha 800 selected as UAS platform for H2020 ResponDrone Project
Alpha Unmanned Systems has announced that its Alpha 800 has been selected as the UAS platform for the European Union's three year €8.3 Million H2020 ResponDrone Project.
According to Alpha, the Alpha 800 will be used to demonstrate how multi-UAS operation can deliver high value data and services for first responders following a disaster.
The project, which kicked off on Monday, May 20 in Madrid, Spain, is made up of 20 companies—including Thales, IAI and DLR—from 12 countries. Alpha says that it will manage all flights and systems integration into both the Alpha 800s and the cloud-based data analysis platforms.
More than 500 students in New York State trained in use of UAS for public safety operations
New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has announced that more than 500 students have been trained in the use of UAS for public safety operations at the State Preparedness Training Center in Oneida County, New York.
This milestone was reached in April during the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services’ UAS Awareness workshop, which is one of four courses offered on UAS operations. The other courses offered are the UAS Part 107 Preparation Course, the UAS Basic Operator Course, and the UAS Advanced Operator Course.
The courses are designed to help educate public safety officials and first responders on how to integrate UAS into their public safety operations.
Triangle UAS launches UAS-mounted real-time video streaming system
During the 2019 Smart Cities Connect Conference & Expo, a North Carolina-based UAS services and technology provider called Triangle UAS LLC launched its UAS-mounted real-time video streaming system, which is designed to enhance situational awareness during disaster/accident response, search and rescue, and law enforcement events.
According to Triangle UAS, the streaming system will give first responders, public safety officials, and smart cities a “cost-effective, easy-to-use method” of providing real-time video streaming from an aerial UAS to remote operators or an emergency operations center through a secure internet connection.
DJI partners with Los Angeles Fire Department to advance UAS tech for public safety purposes
In an effort to create, test and deploy its UAS technology as an emergency response and preparedness tool, DJI has announced a Solution Development Partnership with the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD).
Through the partnership, DJI will provide the LAFD with access to new technologies, training and support, so that the agency can utilize UAS technology as part of its operations.
University of Connecticut engineering students work to build firefighting UAS
With help from mentors from Sikorsky, three University of Connecticut (UConn) engineering seniors are working to build and program an autonomous firefighting UAS to battle fires without a pilot’s guidance.
Once the UAS is complete, it will be equipped with a thermal imaging camera to identify a fire, object avoidance technology to steer clear of any obstacles, and a softball-sized fire-extinguishing ball that will be dropped over the flames.
The students will develop coding language that will tie the drone’s technology together, and it will operate based on inputted coordinates.
Cape and Chula Vista Police Department tout benefits of UAS
Cape and the Chula Vista Police Department (CVPD) have announced the early results from their Drone as a First Response (DFR) program, which is part of the San Diego UAS Integration Pilot Program (IPP).
Since the launch of the program in Oct. 2018, UAS equipped with the Cape Aerial Telepresence platform have conducted more than 282 flights, contributing to 20 arrests in the process.
“The Chula Vista Police Department is at the forefront of utilizing drones to enhance the science of policing,” says Chris Rittler, CEO of Cape.
Airborne Response conducts UAS training exercise with National Guard and others
On Jan. 24, Airborne Response completed a full-scale training exercise called Exercise Lightning Shield, during which it provided aerial support for the U.S. Army National Guard, as well as specialized elements of the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department, at the Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida.
A Miami-based provider of “Mission Critical Unmanned Solutions” for industry and government, Airborne Response says that by deploying a force made up of UAS and Tethered Aerostat Systems (TAS) flight teams, it was able to provide “comprehensive low-altitude umbrella” capable of delivering aerial intelligence throughout the simulated disaster response exercise.
Texas' Brownsville Police and Fire departments use UAS to locate elderly man
The Brownsville Police and Fire departments in Brownsville, Texas recently collaborated to locate a missing 88-year-old man using a UAS.
Approximately three hours after the man was reported missing, he was located in a grassy area by the fire department thanks to the UAS. The man was then transported to a local hospital, and as of Tuesday, Jan. 8, was in stable condition.
“This rescue was a team effort with a great response from the Brownsville Fire and Police Departments,” says Brownsville Fire Chief Jarrett V. Sheldon.