On Drones: A Change in Thinking

I've been writing about drones for five years or more and working drone projects for three years. What has changed, and I especially noted this in the last 12 months, is that emergency managers are becoming more open to the use of drones to support emergency management and first responder purposes.

I think what has brought about this change in thinking and attitudes is the local and regional successes they are reading and hearing about when it comes to the successful deployment of drones, especially in search-and-rescue situations. This is not an overnight revolution, but I definitely sense that the winds of change are blowing in the direction of using drones for a multitude of purposes.  

My only hope is that we can make more progress before an egregious use of a drone is reported in the media — one that uses a drone as a weapon to kill and maim. Eventually that will happen, but you don't see politicians banning cars because there was a car bomb, or an auto was used in a bank robbery. We will have to accept some of the bad uses in order to also tap into the potential of what drones can provide in a positive manner.