On Wednesday, Nov. 13, DroneResponders formalized the DroneResponders Major Cities Working Group, which is designed to unite and help public safety agencies that use UAS in urban and large metropolitan areas. 

Charter members of the working group include representatives from the Fire Department of New York (FDNY), the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), and the New York Police Department (NYPD). Leaders from each of these organizations have accepted appointments on the leadership council for the working group, and will work  directly with DroneResponders to establish communications with other public safety agencies interested in using UAS for missions in dense population centers and large metropolitan areas.

“Operating UAS in large urban cities presents a unique set of challenges for public safety agencies,” says LAFD Battalion Chief Richard Fields, a member of the leadership council for the working group.

“The Major Cities Working Group will allow larger police and fire departments to work more closely with one another, while also partnering with leading non-profit organizations like AIRT, AUVSI, and NPPA to help identify potential solutions to the complex issues we face.”

With non-profit organizational support from organizations such as AUVSI, DroneResponders will administer the Major Cities Working Group. AUVSI, along with the likes of AIRT and the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA), will facilitate coordination between public safety agencies, news media organizations, non-governmental organizations, and the unmanned systems industry as needed.

During Xponential 2020 in Boston from May 4 to 7, the working group committee of the whole will gather in person at the DroneResponders Major Cities Meeting during the Global Public Safety UAS Summit. The group also plans to meet at least once a quarter via web conference.

As membership grows and mission requirements evolve, subgroups will be formed to address specific issues that members face.

“The DroneResponders Major Cities Working Group will help insure that large public safety departments have a collective voice in the development of new training and certification standards surrounding the use of drones by first responders,” says Charles Werner, director of the DroneResponders program and retired fire chief.

Membership in the DroneResponders Major Cities Working Group is complimentary and open to representatives from public safety agencies and jurisdictions that represent cities and metropolitan areas with a population of at least 500,000.