Dispatch From the Skies: Drones Leading the Charge

Sunday, August 4 | 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.
Travis Hull, FirstNet User Experience Domain Lead; Orlando FD Acting Deputy Chief Jason Revoldt, Orlando FD Acting Deputy Chief; Sam Jones, Brookhaven PD Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) Unit Sergeant

In this engaging session, highlighting emerging technologies, FirstNet User Experience Domain Lead Travis Hull, along with Orlando FD Acting Deputy Chief Jason Revoldt and Brookhaven PD Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) Unit Sergeant Sam Jones, discussed how the use of UAS benefit various agencies, and how they're used differently for various applications.

Chief Revoldt started the presentation with examples of how the UAS can provide aid to fire personnel with a more investigative approach, providing videos from various scenes. On working fire scenes, drones with thermal imaging cameras allow firefighters to see hotspots within buildings, often in areas that are not visible to crews working the scene.

In other higher-risk scenarios, such as bomb squad calls, Chief Revoldt said that drones allow for a three-dimensional view of suspicious devices, whereas their robots only have a two-dimensional image of what's in front of them. The benefit, he said, is that this all can be done "without putting another person downrange."

For the financial side of things, the drones are crucial for fire investigations, providing a vantage point that wasn't previously available. These images aid in the investigations for insurance reasons as well.

On the law side of things, Sgt Sam Jones took the stage. Brookhaven, which sits just outside of the Atlanta Metro Area, uses their UAS unit to deploy and obtain information in real-time. Combining the monitoring of Live911 and setting launch points in locations with more frequent calls for service allows the drone to be on location within minutes. Out of the 342 calls that the drone was deployed to during a reporting period, it was on scene before the first officer 66% of the time. As of July 2024, their current launch-to-arrival time is averaging 77 seconds.

According to information on their website from 2021, the city's drones reached a top speed of 51 mph, flew a combined total of more than 700 miles, responded to 537 calls for service, eight SWAT callouts, and photographed five crime scenes.

Sgt Jones did explicitly say, however, that the DFR Program, or Drones as First Responders, is not a proactive tool, but rather one to assist responding officers by giving them eyes in the sky to better allocate resources. He also cautioned agencies to first get certification, then deploy the program, as first purchasing the equipment without the proper training can lead to higher costs down the road.

"A 9-1-1 call is dynamic. Not everything is going to stay in one spot," Sgt Jones said. "Being able to put a drone in the sky is key."

Submitted by William Allison, Oregon State University Department of Public Safety

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