By now, there is a good chance that either a police or fire department within 20 miles of where you live has an emergency drone program. Drones can help police officers and firefighters serve their communities while protecting their own lives in numerous ways. For the most part, fear of these drones being used in violation of citizen’s privacy is gone as people have seen how responsibly drones are being used by state government agencies.

Travis County in south-central Texas is the 5th most populated county and the seat of the state’s capital, Austin. The Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services (ATCEMS) provides emergency medical care to 2.2 million people living in eighteen cities within the county, covering more than 1,300 square miles. Last year, ATCEMS received funding from the Department of State Health Services.

What is unique about this drone program is that it is separate from any being used by police and fire departments in the county. For most EMS departments, if there is a situation in which a drone is the best tool to be applied, they wait for a partnering police or fire department to provide drone services. ATCEMS is one of the first EMS departments to have a dedicated drone program, which can now help provide support to other local emergency departments. ATCEMS was granted permission to initiate the program, called SPARTAN (Special Projects Aerial Recon Transport Aid Navigation) in the summer of 2020. By the fall of 2020, the department had purchased 15 drones and begun training officers to operate them.

ATCEMS enrolled 16 officers in a Remote Pilot in Command Academy to obtain an FAA issued Part 107 certification. Part of the Academy included 45 hours of flight training. With a Part 107, these certified EMS pilots can even purchase and fly a drone to earn a second income in their spare time. Three of the UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) ATCEMS purchased are Autel Robotics EVO II Dual drones. Starting at around $10K, these drones come with everything needed to assist in emergencies. This includes a standard HD camera and a FLIR Boson 640×512 thermal camera. The drone has 12 visual sensors that prevent obstacle collision. Another key feature for any emergency drone operator is that the drone is not restricted by geo-fencing, so it can fly almost anywhere instantly without specialized clearance. Added to that, ATCEMS has been granted by the FAA a public safety flight waiver Certificate of Authorization.

ATCEMS officially launched the SPARTAN drone program in the spring of 2021. Since then, they have used the drones in 6 public safety missions and assisted in 2 emergency operation support missions. The department has established one drone command center, and is in the process of setting up a second to provide adequate coverage for the entire county. The next step, ATCEMS revealed, will be to begin using drones with parcel delivery capabilities. These drones will be able to deliver life saving medical supplies to patients and the officers serving them.