Skyfire Helps City of Fremont Launch First Joint Police/Fire Drone Responder Program

The City of Fremont’s police and fire departments have launched the first ever joint drone as first responder (DFR) program in the U.S., and most likely the world.

From November 2022 to January 2023 the Fremont Police and Fire Departments ran a pilot program, allowing them to do tests, collect data, and communicate with the public about what they were planning to do, and why.

In the pilot, drones were deployed from strategic locations to respond to 911 calls related to both law enforcement and fire emergencies, such as crimes in progress, fires, traffic accidents, and reports of dangerous subjects. The initiative proved successful, helping reduce response times for emergency calls and enhancing the safety of first responders and the public.

Credit: The City of Fremont

Here’s how the Fremont DFR program works:

• Deployment. When a 911 call comes in, a remote pilot dispatches a drone autonomously to the location of the call using software from Dronesense.
• At the scene. Once there, the remote pilot controls the aircraft and its camera or other sensors, providing a live video feed with valuable situational awareness of the incident to key stakeholders, including officers or firefighters who are en route.
• After the response. When the appropriate response is implemented and the call is cleared, the remote pilot clicks a button and the drone autonomously returns to the landing site, where it can be prepared for the next call.

Skyfire’s Key Role in DFR Programs

From a regulatory perspective, DFR programs can be tricky to launch because they require flying BVLOS.

That hurdle is the reason there are still so few DFR programs. According to the National League of Cities, there were only 15 DFR programs in the U.S. as of November last year.

This is where a company like Skyfire comes in. Skyfire offers UAV consulting services for public safety agencies, helping them navigate drone regulations and secure complicated permissions.

Skyfire has an impressive history with DFR programs.

Credit: Chula Vista Police Departments

Back in 2019, it helped the Chula Vista Police Department (CVPD) launch the very first DFR program. In the process, Skyfire helped invent the idea of sending a drone to the scene of a 911 call as well as the “DFR” terminology that’s now commonly used to describe these operations.

To get the CVPD program live, Skyfire had to help the department obtain the first ever emergency response Certificate of Authorization (COA) with a Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) provision for public safety. Since then, Skyfire has been part of launching at least a dozen DFR programs, making it the primary DFR consulting company in the country.

We’re proud to work with Skyfire to launch this groundbreaking DFR program. This program has the potential to save lives and make our community safer, and Skyfire’s expertise has been invaluable in getting us to this point.

– Jeff Kleven, Battalion Chief of the Fremont Fire Department

The Fremont program deploys drones from a few strategic locations in the city, including the roof of an apartment building called Parkway Towers.

Soon, a new partnership with the Washington Hospital Healthcare System will allow first responders to deploy drones from the roof of a local hospital as well.

What Is a Drone Responder Program?

In a drone responder program (or DFR program) drones fly immediately to the scene of an emergency, providing a live aerial feed to first responders en route.

These programs give police officers get real-time situational awareness, helping them:

• Track fleeing suspects
• Make better decisions
• Avoid being ambushed
• De-escalate situations—and sometimes even avoid going to a scene altogether

For the most part, these programs have been used only by law enforcement. But other public safety agencies can also benefit from having on-demand aerial intel from unfolding scenes, with fire departments being at the top of the list.

But it’s important to note that DFR programs aren’t the only way that fire and police departments use drones.

Here are just some of the public safety use cases for drones listed on Fremont’s website:

• Public safety and life preservation missions, including barricaded suspects, hostage situations, active shooters, apprehension of armed and dangerous fleeing suspects, and high-risk search warrants
• Mass casualty events
• Lost or missing persons
• Rescue events
• Disaster response and recovery
• Suspected explosive devices
• Fire suppression or investigation
• Hazardous material releases
• Post-incident crime scene preservation and documentation
• Pursuant to a search warrant
• Special Events

Want to see more? Check out our guide to drones in public safety, which includes 54 different use cases.