Manatee County Fl could be the first in the nation to respond to 911 calls with a drone
SARASOTA, Fla. Sept 23 2020 Manatee County officials are pushing for new and more efficient ways to be able to respond to emergencies. They are partnering with a private company to bring more eyes in the skies to not only solve crimes, but also save lives.
“We’re on the edge of something that would be very very beneficial to our community,” said Jake Saur, the Public Safety Director for Manatee County.
Manatee County would be the first area on the Suncoast to have this cutting-edge technology in place. The drone, created by Archer First Response Systems, would be the newest tool as part of Manatee County’s Emergency Response – arriving to a scene while ambulances or first responders are on their way.
“It has its own dispatch system that is constantly checking the weather and it’s flight plan. It already knows all of the flight plans within that area that it can respond to,” explained Saur.
It’s technology that as been around for a few years, but this will be the first time ever that a drone would be used in responding to a 911 emergency call and bringing life-saving tools with it. If this program gets approved, it would be leaving from the EMS facility in Lakewood Ranch. The drone can deliver things like Narcan, a tourniquet or a defibrillator while the 911 center walks the caller through the process of applying the equipment. County officials have agreed to look into this pilot program. All that’s left is for the approval from the FAA.
“I like that we ride that cutting edge. I think this is something to be proud of. Will it work? Who knows. That’s why it would be a pilot program. Definitely though, if it were to be approved by the FAA and we would kick off the pilot program, the entire nation would be looking at us to see if this works. This could set the technology for the future,” Saur said.
If Manatee County does get the approval from the FAA, which should be in the next few months, the county would be doing a pilot program in partnership with Archer and Tampa General Hospital. It would cost the county $1 a month for a one-year lease of the equipment.
WWSB
