LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville Metro Government is proposing using drones as first responders.

The new initiative would allow emergency services, the Louisville Fire Department and Louisville Metro Police to deploy drones after someone calls 911.

All Louisville public safety agencies use drones during emergencies, but they have to be called first.

The new program would allow pilots to take off as soon as the call comes in, resulting in faster response times and more.

What You Need To Know

  •  Louisville Metro Government is proposing a revolutionary safety program which would deploy drones as first responders

  •  The program would allow emergency crews to deploy drones the minute an emergency call is received

  •  This would be one of the first programs of this type in the country

  • The drones as first responder program would cost approximately $1 million a year. Metro Council votes on the budget June 26

Emergency managers believe the drone as first responder program or DFR could be a game changer for helping during emergencies.

“Pilots are actually going to be stationed in our 911 center, where they’ll be ready for a call. They’ll get the call, and they’ll be able to see the call as soon as soon as it goes to the dispatcher and see what’s coming in. And they’ll automatically be able to fly those drones to an emergency. So they’ll be flying the way the bird flies, you know, not having to worry about traffic or and then getting the information out to the first responders about what they’re getting into.,” said Executive Director for Louisville Emergency Management Jody Meiman.

This could help first responders get a bird’s eye view of a situation before even arriving.

“It’s really going to give the first responders a taste of what they’re getting into. So if it’s a fire, I mean, they may see a downed power line before they get there in the front yard, so they don’t, you know, go up on it and get people hurt. You know a missing person. You know a law enforcement potential chaser may see a suspect that’s fleeing a scene,” said Meiman.

He said the DFR program would be one of the first in the country.

“Several agencies are doing it together, so police, fire and emergency management are getting together, and it’s a collaborative thing in other cities. What you see is one agency is doing it for their agency specifically, so they’re not doing it together. So this could be one of a kind throughout the nation,” said Meiman.

The plan is to have eight docking stations throughout the metro area and five Tactical Flight Operators or TFOs. The one-year proposed budget for the DFR program is just over $1 million.

The TFOs would work out of Metrosafe in downtown Louisville to be ready to help when dispatchers answer calls.

The Metro Council budget vote is scheduled for June 26.

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