First Responders

Police, fire, and search-and-rescue teams putting drones to work when minutes matter.

1,586

Articles

117

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Reporters on beat

Nov 9

Last updated

Aerial view of Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama, with empty grandstands wrapped around a green field

Legal

Birmingham's $500 Drone Fine Spares Pilots Who Follow FAA Rules

Birmingham police can now write $500 drone tickets near ticketed events, starting with the Magic City Classic. HB 429 exempts FAA-legal flights.

Haye KestelooOct 21

Black quadcopter drone with tall landing legs and a camera gimbal flying against a cloudy sky

Belgium

DJI Dock 4 Demoed for Belgian First Responders. US Teams Can't Buy It

Belgium's state drone pilot course turned 10 at PLOT in Genk, where DJI Dock 4 got a live demo two days after launch. US rescuers can't buy it.

Haye KestelooOct 20

Skydio X10 drone sitting inside an open Skydio Dock on a rooftop with a city skyline behind it at sunset

Police

Inquirer Calls Police Drones 'Cheaper.' Lower Merion Asked $375,000

Upper Darby and Bensalem fly Skydio X10s as first responders. The Inquirer says drones got cheaper. Its one price is $375,000 over five years for one drone.

Haye KestelooOct 20

Grayscale thermal drone image looking straight down on rows of tall standing crop, with a body-shaped heat signature between the rows near the center highlighted in red and a second warm spot at the left edge

Search & Rescue

Iowa Sheriff's Thermal Drone Finds Crash Driver Unhurt in a Field

Iowa deputies feared a Harcourt crash driver was thrown clear. A thermal drone from a team a 2020 pipeline donation seeded found the driver unhurt.

Haye KestelooOct 19

Gray DJI Matrice 4T drone with a spotlight and thermal gimbal on a white folding table next to a DJI RC Plus 2 controller and an open screen case, on a gravel construction site

Search & Rescue

Carolina Rescue Team Flies New DJI M4T, Calls the Ban Overreach

Charleston's all-volunteer Carolina Emergency Response Team trained on a new DJI Matrice 4T and called the DJI ban overreach nobody has time for.

Haye KestelooOct 19

Counter-Drone

29 Governors Ask DOJ for a Prison Drone Course Its Rule Already Offers

29 governors want more FBI counter-drone seats, a prison course and Guard training. The federal rule already offers the prison course and allows new sites.

Haye KestelooOct 19

Pilot Institute

FCC Moves to Shut Out Chinese Labs, DroneSense Adds LAANC, DJI Dock 4

Greg Reverdiau: the FCC votes Oct. 29 to cut off Chinese test labs, DroneSense adds LAANC through Aloft, and DJI's Dock 4 swaps batteries in 25 seconds.

Greg ReverdiauOct 16

Gray DJI Matrice quadcopter with a gimbal camera underneath and a cylindrical radar unit on top, sitting on a concrete pad with green and red arm lights on

Firefighters

Missouri Fire Drone Caught a 200-Acre Blaze Jumping Its Line

A Logan-Rogersville drone showed Highlandville crews a 200-acre Stone County, Mo., fire had jumped a river. It was the chief's first drone at a fire.

Haye KestelooOct 15

First Responders

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