The state has launched its Drones for First Responders Pilot Program, a partnership among the Ohio Department of Transportation, SkyfireAI, and CAL Analytics. The two-year pilot program will provide the tools and technical training for first responder operations, as well as collect data and metrics to help inform policymaking, said Breanna Badanes, managing director of communications and policy at DriveOhio, an arm of the Ohio Department of Transportation focusing on smart mobility technology.
“The program aims to support the use of drones by law enforcement, fire departments, and emergency medical services and assess how drone technology can improve situational awareness, reduce emergency response time, and enhance public and responder safety,” Badanes said via email.
ODOT is working with SkyfireAI to establish the procedures and requirements to administer the program ahead of a call for applications, which is anticipated next month, Badanes said.
“We expect to select participants early next year and begin operations next summer,” she said.
CAL Analytics will provide traffic management software for ODOT. SkyfireAI will serve as program manager overseeing the pilot, whether this involves coordinating with vendors and municipalities to install drone systems, or ensuring compliance with Federal Aviation Administration regulations. SkyfireAI will also oversee the training portion of the project.
“While SkyfireAI does not manufacture hardware, our team will integrate all technical components — aircraft, docking stations, software, and data platforms — into fully operational systems tailored to each agency’s mission,” Justin McCarthy, vice president of partnerships at SkyfireAI, said in an email.
Drone assets have the ability to offer real-time situational awareness to officials on the ground, allowing them to make more informed decisions.
“First responders can leverage drone technology in a variety of scenarios including search and rescue, crash response, medical supply delivery, natural disaster response, and public safety incidents,” Badanes said. “Drones can fly in hazardous environments where humans can’t go, cover large areas in a shorter amount of time, and convey critical situational awareness to crews on the ground.”
Others in the public safety sector agreed and have said drones are able to bring real-time intelligence just at the moment important decisions have to be made.
“That type of tactical advantage is an absolute just game-changer for us, for safety for us, for safety for the suspect, and most importantly, the safety of the citizens that we are sworn to protect,” Sgt. Michael Cheek, Dunwoody Police Department public information officer, said. In April, he discussed how the Georgia police department is using drones, which are launched by its 911 system.
Tying drones into the 911 system is the kind of technology SkyfireAI plans to bring to the Ohio project, McCarthy said.
“When deployed from a secure rooftop or vehicle-based docking station, a DFR [drones for first responders] aircraft can autonomously launch within seconds of a 911 call — often arriving on scene minutes before ground units,” he said. The drone can then begin providing a live video feed to dispatchers and command staff, allowing agencies to assess the situation, allocate resources more efficiently, and respond with greater safety and precision.
This means police officers can have a better understanding of an incident even before arrival. Firefighters can get an overhead view of a burning structure and be able to better determine the integrity of a burning roof. And emergency medical services departments can know in advance what routes to use to respond to a car accident or transport victims to a hospital.
“All of these capabilities combine to increase situational awareness, responder safety, and public confidence, while generating data that can inform long-term response strategies,” McCarthy said. “The statewide pilot will help quantify these benefits at scale, showing how drones can serve as the ‘first eyes on scene’ across both urban and rural communities.”
Having Ohio take the lead on developing the policy around the use of drones, and the training for emergency personnel, opens up access to smaller agencies that may not possess the funding or expertise to take on this sort of technology advancement, officials said.
“By launching the first statewide Drone First Responder program, we are showing how unmanned aerial systems can enhance public safety, accelerate emergency response, and strengthen our communities,” state Rep. Bernie “Bunyan” Willis, chair of the Ohio House Transportation Committee, said in a statement. “This program is not just about technology — it’s about saving lives and setting the standard for the rest of the nation.”
Other states have also recognized the potential for drones as tools for first responders, logistics aids and other uses.
The University of North Dakota Center for Innovation announced Project RuralReach earlier this year, to explore use cases for drones, particularly in “beyond visual line of sight” technology and applications. The project awarded three companies $50,000 each to deploy and test their unmanned aerial systems technologies, with flight testing and operational trials to begin in the coming months.
