ATLANTA, June 30, 2022 – Skyfire Consulting (Skyfire) (skyfireconsulting.com), the most trusted and experienced public safety UAS consulting group, today announced it has helped secure Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) waivers, specifically for Drone First Responder (DFR) — a revolutionary means by which the deployment of drones enhances response to emergency situations and adds an element of safety for public safety agencies and the community—for three additional police departments around the country. Brookhaven Police, GA., Elizabeth Police , NJ., and Collier County Police, FL. have each obtained BVLOS waivers in three separate classes of airspace, and with the help of Skyfire will bring the innovative DFR programs to their communities.
“This is a monumental time for the future of drone first responder programs in this country,” said Matt Sloane, Skyfire founder and CEO. “We’d like to thank the FAA for their action on these programs, and we look forward to helping continue the conversations towards a faster path to approval for these types of programs in the future.”
To help get the programs off the ground, Skyfire worked closely with the departments and AUVSI’s Executive VP of Public and Govt Affairs Michael Robbins to ensure the FAA had all of the appropriate context and information needed to ensure these programs are operated safely.
At AUVSI’s invitation, Skyfire CEO Matt Sloane also had the honor of testifying to the US House of Representatives’ Unmanned Systems Caucus last week, highlighting the importance of DFR programs to the public safety, and underscoring the need for a standardized approach to FAA approval.
Each of these programs were able to show a successful track record of operating safely within line of sight before receiving BVLOS permissions, an important building block for getting these types of advanced approvals.
Skyfire has remained focused on ensuring each of its clients has the most effective software for their unique mission sets. Each of these three new programs has been approved using three different software applications — Motorola’s Cape, DroneSense and Paladin – underscoring Skyfire’s dedication to supporting DFR in all forms.
Skyfire is a pioneer in supporting DFR programs. In 2019, working on behalf of the Chula Vista Police Department (CVPD) with support of the City of San Diego, Skyfire became the first consultancy to help obtain FAA approval for the nation’s first Beyond Line of Sight Certificate of Authorization (COA) as part of the FAA’s IPP program. This certification allowed CVPD to operate drones within a nearly 40-square-mile area, more than 10 times the previous coverage area.
Agencies interested in starting DFR programs can reach out directly to Skyfire’s team of experts, and join our webinar on July 20th and 1pm ET, which will feature DFR software developers, current DFR operators and experts from Skyfire. For more information about DFR Programs visit: Drone as First Responder
About Skyfire:
Skyfire Consulting is the most trusted and experienced public safety UAV consulting company in the United States. Specializing in pilot training, FAA consulting, SOP development, American-made drone design and manufacturing for public safety agencies, Skyfire is focused on providing solutions to the most complex needs.