First Responders

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

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113

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Oct 2

Last updated

Skydio

Spokane's Skydio Drones Hit 400 Flights In Three Weeks

Spokane police say four Skydio X10 drones flew about 400 missions in three weeks, including a pursuit where the aircraft tracked suspects overhead after patrol cars backed off.

Rafael SuárezJul 25

Firefighters working the Babylon Fire in San Juan County, Utah as drones support containment

Wildfire

Drones Patrol Utah's Babylon Fire As Containment Nears 100%

As Utah’s Babylon Fire nears full containment, incident teams say drones helped locate hot spots, monitor rough terrain, and confirm a fresh lightning strike before it could start another blaze.

Rafael SuárezJul 25

Police

Lincolnshire Police Drone Tracks Mini Moto Rider To Arrest

Lincolnshire Police used its drone unit to track a mini moto rider across roads and footpaths in Gainsborough, ending the chase with an arrest instead of a dangerous ground pursuit.

Rafael SuárezJul 25

A DJI Matrice-series drone flies during the Rensselaer County Sheriff's Office drone demonstration in Troy, New York

Funding

New York Puts $75 Million Behind Police Drones, And Rensselaer County Can't Touch A Dollar Of It

New York's $75 million LETECH program funds police drones and counter-drone gear, but an ICE clause locks out Rensselaer County, whose photographed fleet of DJI and Autel aircraft faces a federal squeeze of its own.

Haye KestelooJul 24

Three Skydio Dock for X10 stations on a rooftop with the Tampa skyline behind them

Blue UAS

Skydio Lands Entire Drone Lineup on Blue UAS Cleared List, and the Grant Money Follows

Skydio's X10, Dock for X10, and R10 join the X10D on the Blue UAS Cleared List, unlocking federal grant eligibility and cementing its DFR lead while rivals stay locked out.

Haye KestelooJul 23

Fire and Rescue NSW drone team uses AI-assisted search tools in Kosciuszko National Park

Search & Rescue

Fire and Rescue NSW AI Drone Finds Lost Hikers in 5 Hours

Two hikers who went missing off the Dead Horse Gap track in Kosciuszko National Park were located within five hours after Fire and Rescue NSW deployed a drone team using AI-assisted detection software. The rescue is the agency's first operational AI find, and it offers a rare look at how human pilots and low-threshold machine vision actually work together in the field.

Rafael SuárezJul 22

Cal Fire and FireWERX field-test Seneca autonomous firefighting drones in California

Wildfire

Cal Fire Tests Seneca Drone Packs That Launch Themselves

Cal Fire spent July 15 field-testing Seneca's autonomous firefighting drones with FireWERX in California, giving the nine-month-old startup its clearest public proving-ground yet with a state agency. The five-drone foam strike-team concept now has to prove it can survive real wildfire airspace and turn demos into contracts.

Rafael SuárezJul 22

BRINC Responder drone lifting off from a docking station

DFR

League City Police To Fly BRINC 911 Drones By December

League City Police Department plans to launch a Drone as First Responder program by December after city council approved a Motorola Solutions pilot agreement built around BRINC aircraft, with the first year free and a six-year contract value of up to $1,759,980 if the city keeps the program.

Rafael SuárezJul 21

First Responders

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