As much as civilian drones have been a really welcome inventions to the industrial world – speeding up and reducing costs for all those operations we have all come to be familiar with – it is their application in life-saving humanitarian situations that we have to give the loudest applause.
Given the terrible road networks in many countries in Africa, governments that have chosen to bridge this problem by deploying medical drone operations have seen healthcare delivery in remote community dramatically improve, as several researches have proven.
Mozambique, Ghana, Malawi, Nigeria and Rwanda are some of the countries that have adopted medical drone logistics within their healthcare systems are now reaping the sweet rewards.
Then there are those drones deployed to emergency and public safety situations, where there can be immediate danger to human lives if the situation is not assessed correctly. And we know one province in South Africa has not cracked the code on this yet, but first response drones do work.
Actually, Drone as First Responder (DFR) operations are growing so rapidly in North America – the biggest commercial drone market in the world – that an enterprising drone manufacturing start-up decided to build a drone specifically for first response applications.
American drone maker BRINC Drones debuted the BRINC DFR system, which features a Responder drone, Responder Station charging nest and LiveOps teleoperations platform, built for starting or scaling automated drone deployments easier than ever.
According to the manufacturer, the drones are engineered to reach 911 calls in under 70 seconds, providing critical situational awareness to first responders before they arrive on scene. They are also capable of delivering life-saving medical supplies, reducing manned response times, and addressing low-priority calls without the need to dispatch personnel.
"The launch of BRINC DFR marks a pivotal moment in the evolution of emergency response. Our DFR initiative is set to revolutionize the public safety landscape by empowering first responders with capabilities that significantly improve emergency response times and outcomes." said Blake Resnick, BRINC Founder & CEO.
The BRINC DRF can support first responders as part of an agency's automated DFR system, a patrol-led DFR approach, or as a manually deployed drone. The Responder can also deliver a wide selection of life-saving payloads, such as EpiPens, automated external defibrillators (AEDs), personal floatation devices (PFDs), and naloxone (Narcan).
Its two-way communication capability facilitates instruction and can enhance de-escalation during tense confrontations.
“Responder is equipped with a remarkable camera payload, providing a detailed view to public safety personnel once it arrives on-scene,” the company said at the launch of the system last year.
“It features a Full HD, 40x zoom visual camera array, and a 640px thermal sensor. This industry-leading thermal imager can aid firefighters in identifying hotspots during structure fires and help search and rescue teams locate missing or injured individuals. Responder also has an emergency response vehicle livery, custom agency markings, red and blue lights, and an integrated siren to make it identifiable as a public safety asset.
“Complementing the Responder is the Responder Station, a robotic charging nest designed to be placed throughout communities for fast response times. Responder Station ensures that Responders remain operational, protected from weather, and ready to spring into action at a moment's notice. Together, the Responder and Responder Station enable sub-5-second drone deployment.”
Responder drones return to the nearest available Station after the completion of each mission to charge from 0 to 100% in just 40 minutes.
This entire solution is driven by BRINC LiveOps, a drone operations software platform available on all modern web browsers. This allows for easy access on mobile devices, tablets, mobile data computers, and at real-time crime centres.
LiveOps provides:
- Teleoperations: Fly Responder drones from anywhere in the world on a browser tab with your arrow keys.
- Manage District-Wide Deployments: View calls for service and available drones, select a station to launch from, and quickly deploy drones to emergencies.
- 2-Way Communications: Provide life-saving instruction and de-escalate critical situations.
- Augmented Reality Overlays: Contextualize live feeds by overlaying map data on drone video feeds.
- Integrated Airspace Awareness: View local weather information, ADS-B data, ground-based radar detections, FAA map tiles, and more to deconflict airspace.
- Transparency Portal: Provide communities with flight logs and a program dashboard to promote transparency.
- Integrate with Existing Public Safety Infrastructure: Connect with existing computer-aided dispatch (CAD), digital evidence management systems (DEMS), 911 call systems, and more.
"Our fully integrated approach with Responder, Responder Station, and BRINC LiveOps sets us apart in the industry, enabling seamless coordination and rapid response in times of crisis." said Don Redmond, BRINC Vice President of Advanced Public Safety Projects,
"We anticipate that our innovative solution will not only enhance operational efficiency, but save lives."
Yesterday BRINC – which has a good history of serving public safety agencies across the United States with drones like the LEMUR 2 – published another article to explain how its new solutions works, and to buttress its commitment to the importance of drone technology for first responders.
Below is the article in full; we hope you get good lessons from it.
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 prioritise Narcan payloads. Drone as First Responder (DFR) programs should analyse 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 manoeuvrability 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 minimises 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 manoeuvrability.
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.