The initiative is centered on expanding what are known as drone-as-first-responder (DFR) programs, with the intent of supporting cities, towns and villages as they explore how drones can be used in connection with 911 calls.
The concept behind DFR programs is relatively straightforward: drones are stationed in fixed locations and can be launched quickly in response to a call for service. According to Tuesday’s announcement, the unmanned aerial vehicles are capable of arriving at an incident rapidly and, in some situations, before personnel on the ground. Once overhead, they can transmit live visuals and share information with dispatchers and responders as a situation unfolds.
Determining what that looks like in practice begins well before any drone is deployed. David Benowitz, vice president of strategy and marketing communications at BRINC, said the company begins working with an agency before day one “to identify launch locations and prepare waiver submissions so we can hit the ground running.” From there, he said, the BRINC team moves quickly to line up installation and regulatory approvals “as soon as feasible,” noting that while timelines vary, “cities can be operational in as little as one to two weeks after signing.”
Its hands-on role is part of BRINC’s position as the exclusive NLC drone partner. The company will support the organization throughout the implementation process by handling Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approvals, training, maintenance and standing up transparency dashboards.
For local leaders, the endeavor is meant to offer guidance as they consider whether to adopt the technology. It provides members with “access to trusted information and leading technology as they explore drone-as-first-responder programs in their communities,” Clarence E. Anthony, NLC CEO and executive director, said in a statement.
Yet, as those efforts begin to take shape in the field, agencies are getting a clearer sense of how the technology performs in real-world situations. Benowitz pointed to how drones are already changing the way certain calls are handled, noting that in some cases, “drones can clear calls themselves — for low priority calls, often the dispatcher and the drone’s visuals can play a key role in resolving the issue instead of sending first responders.”
Those daily shifts are also reflected in broader performance trends; “agencies with DFR programs have seen overall agency response times become up to 50 percent faster,” Benowitz said. And beyond response times, he noted, there are additional impacts that are harder to measure, including “increased officer safety, reduced use of force and the ability to deploy lifesaving payloads like Narcan and EpiPens.” Those outcomes, he said, “will take some more time to get better data on.”
