Unmanned Drones Respond to 911 Calls in Georgia

Emergencies are always happening, and at times, first responders can struggle answering every call, especially during natural disasters and with the pandemic we are currently facing. Public safety agencies need all the help they can get in helping victims and keeping their first responders safe. Many agencies have started turning to drone technology to help…

New Waiver Allows Public Safety Drones to Go Beyond Line-of-Sight

Drone technology has been used in public safety for years with the requirement to stay in the line-of-sight of the operator, but this is now changing. Last week the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) changed the rules with a waiver. Public safety agencies have been trying to get approval for using drone technology beyond line-of-sight for…

California cops enlist drones for coronavirus lockdown enforcement

BREAKING NEWS — As more and more states across the country begin to issue shelter-in-place orders to citizens, one is using drone technology to help with coronavirus lockdown enforcement. Read more about how California is trying to keep citizens safe by mounting loud speakers to drones, in the full story below. (https://www.pymnts.com/coronavirus/2020/california-cops-enlist-drones-for-lockdown-enforcement/) “A police department…

SURVEY SAYS: Public safety sector is embracing drone technology

BREAKING NEWS — The International Wireless Communications Expo has found almost 30 percent of public-safety officials surveyed are embracing drone technology in their agencies. Incident management, rural communications among most cited use cases. Read the full report from Robotics Business Review below. (https://www.roboticsbusinessreview.com/unmanned/unmanned-aerial/survey-public-safety-sector-is-embracing-drones/) “ATLANTA – Almost 30% of public safety professionals surveyed by the International Wireless…

How drones are being deployed in the fight against Coronavirus

BREAKING — As the death toll rises to more than 700 in China, drone technology is being used to help curb the deadly Coronavirus. News reports say drones are being used multiple ways to combat the spread of the disease, including delivering medical samples to hospitals for testing. Read the full story below. “Last month,…

DOJ updates policy on drone use in investigations, search and rescue

BREAKING NEWS — The United States Government has updated its policy on the use of drones for public-safety agencies, which replaces a 2015 version and discusses the responsible and appropriate use of drone technology. Read the full story below!   (https://www.theepochtimes.com/doj-updates-policy-on-drone-use-in-investigations-search-and-rescue_3159476.html) “The Department of Justice (DOJ) updated its policy on the use of drones for…

Public safety agencies deploy drones to plan for and prevent disasters

UNITED STATES — A growing number of public safety agencies are using drones are to create 3D maps of bridges and other critical infrastructure, in an effort to plan for and prevent future disasters. According to news reports, 2018 saw an 82 percent increase in sheriff’s offices, emergency services, police, and fire departments using drones…

Headline Roundup: The downside of drones

HEADLINE ROUNDUP — With drone use on the rise, public safety is as risk according to multiple news reports. Curious how drones could be affecting public safety, personal privacy, and even illegal prison deliveries? Here are a few recent stories from around the web: U.S. geospatial data could flow to China via drones (https://fcw.com/articles/2019/06/19/drone-senate-china-data.aspx) “Experts…

TECH TALK: Drones, supercomputers and sonar deployed against floods

TECH TALK —  First responders are looking to technology such as drones, sonar, and supercomputers to help combat floods, as scientists predict spring weather could cause the major inundation of 13 million people. Read the full story below. (https://www.ecnmag.com/news/2019/04/drones-supercomputers-and-sonar-deployed-against-floods) “An arsenal of new technology is being put to the test fighting floods this year as…

How a robot named ‘Colossus’ helped firefighters save Notre Dame from total destruction

PARIS — Firefighters had a secret weapon when Notre Dame caught fire: A robot named ‘Colossus’, according to news stories filed less than a week after a devastating fire at the Paris landmark. Officials are reporting a tanklike machine played a crucial role in keeping the cathedral standing, and credited Colossus with suppressing the blaze when firefighters…

Drones shown to make traffic crash site assessments safer, faster, more accurate

INDIANA —  Officials from an Indiana sheriff’s department and Purdue University reported their recent drone research at the annual Transportation Research Board meeting in Washington, D.C. last week, after the group found drones drastically make cash site assessments safer, faster, and more accurate. Reports show conventional mapping at a severe or fatal crash can take two…

Headline roundup: Friday the 13th around the public safety tech industry

It’s Friday the 13th, and while we may not wearing black at some of our job sites today (it’s more for practical reasons, that summer sun sure can be hot) the Pyramid team sure is keeping up with those public safety headlines! Here are some of the latest industry headlines, and their links. Don’t forget…