Schenectady to acquire new drones
The city of Schenectady, in the US state of New York, is looking to acquire a new fleet of emergency response drones
Schenectady’s City Council met representatives from drone firm Brinc on Monday to discuss a potential six-year deal with the firm worth about $695,000.
The contract would include at least three drones, training, as well as an unlimited repair and replacement warranty. The drones will be equipped for night vision, can break glass, and are outfitted with sensors to generate 3D maps.
Under the prospective deal, some of the funding for the first year would be covered by a $40,000 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
The drones would be available for use by a range of emergency response organizations in the city, including both the police and the fire departments, and could begin operations as early as autumn 2024.
It is hoped that the drones will reduce emergency response times – particularly for non-emergency call-outs. Additionally, they will offer responders improved evidence-gathering and situation assessment capabilities.
Meanwhile in Europe, Swedish medical logistics firm European Medical Drone has placed an order for 11 Aero2 tilt-wing drones from Dufour Aerospace in October.
Oliver Cuenca
Oliver Cuenca is a Junior Editor at the Voyageur Group. He was previously a News and Features Journalist for the rail magazine IRJ until 2021, and studied MA Magazine Journalism at Cardiff University. His favourite helicopter is the AW169 – the workhorse of the UK air ambulance sector! He also led the creation of Waypoint: The AirMed&Rescue podcast, serving as its Production Editor and co-host.