Public safety UAS consulting group Skyfire Consulting has launched Skyfire Response — a complete turnkey solution for Drone First Responder (DFR) programs.
DFR programs are 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. DFR programs aim to decrease response times, provide situational awareness, and increase efficiency.
Skyfire Response leverages Skyfire’s partnerships with hardware, software, drone-in-a-box and data analytics providers to allow agencies with existing UAS programs to upgrade to a DFR response; and new agencies to start with ease.
Included within Skyfire Response is a new partnership with Echodyne — the radar platform company, who designs and delivers high-performance compact, solid-state radars based on the company’s patented metamaterials ESA technology.
Skyfire and Echodyne aim to provide the most complete and robust airspace awareness for public safety and in turn offer truly remote flying without a visual observer, no matter the time of day or the weather.
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 active emergency response Certificate of Authorization (COA) with a Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) provision for public safety as part of the FAA’s IPP program. Skyfire has continued to invest in DFR technology and has supported nearly a dozen DFR programs in the years since.
Skyfire Response will come in three tiers – Gold, Silver and Bronze – and will vary based on the amount of coverage needed, hardware, software and level of autonomy.
“Increasingly, public safety agencies across the country are under-resourced and understaffed,” said Matt Sloane, Skyfire founder and CEO. “The all-new Skyfire Response product offering allows agencies of all sizes to completely outsource Drone First Responder program setup and operations to experts so they can focus on the job at hand.”
What Skyfire Response Provides:
- Equipment: Skyfire provides consultation and facilitates procurement of the latest aircraft from multiple manufacturers, compact airspace awareness radars from Echodyne, and drone-in-a-box solutions from Hextronix and Ondas, to meet public safety department’s requirements. From the most entry level to complex, Skyfire has several equipment options available.
- Training: Skyfire’s training covers program development, FAA regulations, UAS operations, Part 107, and hands-on tactical applications. Skyfire offers advanced courses as well in SWAT operations, accident reconstruction, evidence collection, and mapping/thermography.
- FAA Consulting: From basic Part 107 certification to Blanket and Jurisdictional COAs to Tactical BVLOS and traditional BVLOS operations, Skyfire is believed to have more experience than any other consultancy in the country. Skyfire has filed over 700 traditional COAs in partnership with agencies across the country; and is currently developing a BVLOS waiver with no visual observer utilizing Echodyne’s radar products.
- Software: Using various types of software, Skyfire provides public safety teams with everything from remote video streaming to full remote-piloting capabilities from the comfort of a desktop computer. Software services are billed separately, and as a recurring service.
- Program Operation: For agencies wanting to completely outsource their DFR program, Skyfire’s team of experienced, vetted and safety-conscious pilots fly the UAS, and through our software packages, give communications and command teams the ability to see low latency live-streaming data to make time-critical decisions and maintain all public safety decision making.
