The Catalyst Podcast from the CPSE Center for Innovation is your source for ideas and innovations to help you and your agency in its pursuit of excellence. Each month there will be conversations with leaders and experts, both from within the fire and emergency services and from other fields. You can listen to it here, the Center for Innovation website, or wherever you get your podcasts.
On Episode 7 of the Catalyst Podcast, Assistant Chiefs Bob Welch from the Lenexa (Kansas) Fire Department and Kyle Fekete, CSP, CFO from the Louisville (Kentucky) Fire Department discuss the details of launching a Drone as First Responder (DFR) program in their agencies, covering everything from partnering with local police and placing drone docks to navigating staffing challenges, video quality issues and community buy-in. They highlight how real-time aerial footage from drones arriving ahead of fire crews is already transforming resource deployment at structure fires and offer actionable advice for departments looking to stand up their own programs.
