Drones, training provided to local emergency responders by f…

MUNCIE, Ind. — The Ball Brothers Foundation has awarded more than $50,000 this year to fund the purchase of drones and to create a program to train emergency responders on how to use the devices in their work.

“We rely on grants to fund equipment like this,” Kyle Johnson, Delaware County’s chief information officer, said in a release. “We do not have equipment funds in our annual budget to draw on, so opportunities like these are what allow us access to industry-standard gear.”

Emergency responders are able to use drones in a variety of ways, from investigation of traffic accidents to searches for suspects in criminal cases.

Delaware County Emergency Management/Homeland Security received grants that supported the purchase of two drones, allowing the team “to evaluate and assess hazards while keeping humans out of dangerous situations,” the release said.

As a result of the funding, the county has two drones and two pilots available on a 24/7 basis.

Purdue Extension Blackford County received $45,600 to buy drones and sensors to use as part of its public safety training program.

The program is designed specifically for law enforcement officers, firefighters, emergency management professionals and local county officials.

Story continues below the gallery.

Along with using the drones at crime scenes and for police investigations, participants were trained in FAA regulations, law enforcement tactics, fire operations and emergency management applications.

Mark Carter, Purdue Extension precision ag technology educator, said his office had trained 13 Indiana State Police troopers, seven city police officers, eight county officers, a half dozen firefighters and five county emergency management people.

He also recently spent several days sharing information about the drones and their uses with first-graders in Randolph County.

Ball Brothers Foundation:Grants support workforce development efforts

He noted the benefits of using drones at accident scenes, gathering enough information in 10 minutes “to make an accurate police report and provide information for insurance purposes or to the county prosecutor, if they need it.”

As a result, the length of time roads are closed in the wake of accidents can be significantly decreased, Carter said.

According to the release, the grants “align with the (Ball Brothers) foundation’s Emergency Management Initiative, designed in part to fund special community safety equipment that is not necessarily covered with taxpayer dollars.”

Previous UND becomes part of the new U.S. Space Force program
Next USD 21 Bn growth in Drone Market from 2020 to 2025| Driven b…

Check Also

PM Modi, Bill Gates discuss AI, digital divide and India’s l…

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an interaction with philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder Bill …

FPV drone retail box, videos leak before release

DJI Avata 2 is expected to feature some exciting updates over its predecessor (above) Ready …