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Nine years ago, drones were a novel tool, especially within public safety. First responders who had access to them often relied on creativity and ingenuity, piecing together consumer drones for rescue operations. Today, the landscape has evolved, and drones are becoming indispensable for delivering emergency medical payloads.
Consider the story of Garrett Bryl, a volunteer with the Joshua Fire Department, who used his personal quadcopter, “Valkyrie,” during the 2015 Johnson County, Texas, flash floods. With the Kastel family trapped in their mobile home by rising waters, Bryl attached a rope to Valkyrie and flew it over to the family. The Kastels secured the rope to a beam on their home, enabling rescue workers to send life preservers before airlifting the family to safety.
“Knowing that we had life vests and a safety line made a huge difference,” Kastel told People Magazine. “Watching that drone come in was the coolest thing I’d ever seen.”
This is a powerful example of how drones can save lives in emergencies. But what if lifesaving operations didn’t rely on improvised solutions? Imagine public safety drones equipped with purpose-built technology, designed to deploy medical payloads in seconds. These innovations could free up precious time for first responders and save even more lives.
“When drones deliver emergency medical payloads, they don’t just benefit public safety departments but the entire community,” says Don Redmond, retired police captain and vice president of public safety at BRINC, a leading drone company. “There’s a huge benefit to having public safety drones standard-equipped with lifesaving tools.”
Critical deliveries save lives
The mission is clear: create a seamless system for public safety agencies to deploy drones equipped with emergency medical payloads. These drones can deliver lifesaving devices in as little as 70 seconds. In critical situations like overdoses, cardiac arrests or drownings, those seconds can mean the difference between life and death.
For example, during the Johnson County flash floods, first responders wouldn’t have needed to hastily tie a rope to a personal drone. Instead, they could have deployed an Emergency Flotation Device (EFD) pre-mounted on a public safety drone. Similarly, in backcountry medical emergencies, drones could deliver Narcan, trauma kits or EpiPens to those in need.
Imagine a scenario where a first responder drone drops an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) to a remote location, allowing bystanders to jumpstart the heart of someone experiencing cardiac arrest. Or a drone delivering Glucagon to a hiker suffering a diabetic emergency. These technologies turn critical moments into lifesaving opportunities.
Modern drones also incorporate two-way communication, enabling operators or dispatchers to guide bystanders or victims. For instance, a good Samaritan could receive instructions on how to administer Narcan or an EpiPen dropped by the drone. This added layer of communication ensures that the delivered payload is used effectively and promptly.
Custom outfitting for specific agency needs
Every public safety agency has unique demands. Agencies in regions prone to water rescues will require EFD mounts, while those in areas hit hard by the opioid crisis may prioritize Narcan payloads. Drone as First Responder (DFR) programs should analyze callout data to identify which medical payloads are most critical for their jurisdiction. Fixed launch locations can then be equipped with the appropriate tools, ready for deployment at a moment’s notice.
Easy mounts for manual or automated deployment
Speed and efficiency are essential in emergencies, which means mounting medical payloads must be simple and secure. Proper mounts ensure payloads remain snug against the drone’s airframe, preserving maneuverability and reducing risks. Additionally, mounts must stay attached even when drones are stored in robotic charging nests.
“If you attach something randomly to the drone, it could get eaten by the props, throw off the weight, or fall on someone,” explains Tom Luce, principal mechanical design engineer at BRINC. “Our mounts are designed to be secure and intentional, reducing risks and streamlining operations during time-sensitive emergencies.”
Payload effects on flight time
Payload weight can impact flight time, but the lightweight design of devices like auto-injectors, Narcan and the Restube Automatic EFD minimizes this effect. For example, the Restube Automatic reduces flight time of a BRINC Responder drone by only four to five minutes, while its Pro version impacts flight time by about eight minutes. These small trade-offs ensure that drones can still deliver payloads effectively without sacrificing maneuverability.
Prepared drones save lives
In emergencies, speed and preparedness are paramount. Public safety drones equipped with custom mounts for emergency payloads can save lives, providing critical tools and communication precisely when and where they’re needed. As drone technology and DFR programs continue to advance, these lifesaving systems are poised to become an integral part of public safety operations.
Learn more here about drones for emergency response.