With 911 call centers receiving roughly 240 million calls yearly, it can be challenging for first responders to quickly address emergencies. In fact, response times in major cities like New York and New Orleans have increased over the past few years. To tackle this problem, some law enforcement agencies have invested in rapid-response technologies like drones. 

Since the Chula Vista Police Department launched the first Drone as First Responder (DFR) program in late 2018, these unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have proven their worth, giving teams real-time intelligence to improve safety, efficiency, and multi-agency coordination. 

Here, we look at how these drones work, their benefits, and what first responders should consider when adopting them.

What are emergency response drones?

Emergency response drones are UAVs designed to help first responders like law enforcement, fire departments, and emergency medical service (EMS) teams during crises. 

They provide real-time aerial visibility in designated areas, allowing these teams to make faster and safer plans for approaching time-sensitive emergencies like wildfires, natural disasters, and active crime scenes. For example, they can provide a bird’s eye view of a car accident scene, allowing firefighters and paramedics to create a well-informed response plan. 

While some agencies use emergency response drones and public safety drones interchangeably, the two differ in functionality. Public safety drones are UAVs primarily used for evidence collection, crowd control, and traffic monitoring. 

Emergency response drones are more crisis-focused. First responders use them for quick damage assessments and search and rescue operations after disasters like fires and earthquakes. 

Emergency response drones tend to have more specialized features, such as thermal imaging, to support critical tasks, like rescue missions. Further, they’re gradually evolving from DFR 1.0 to DFR 2.0 — UAVs designed to operate without visual observers on the roof — allowing quicker responses wherever and whenever needed.    

Benefits of emergency response drones for first responders

With the introduction of the Directing Resources for Officers Navigating Emergencies (DRONE) Act of 2025, it’s clear that more legislators and first responders recognize the importance of emergency response drones. 

These vehicles enhance real-time situational awareness and promote seamless inter-agency collaboration, enabling responders to create safer and more coordinated plans. Here’s a deeper look at some of their benefits.

Faster response times and real-time situational awareness

Emergency response drones provide real-time visibility in crises, helping teams assess situations even before they arrive on scene. They can monitor a fire’s spread, provide a thermal image of a disaster zone, and even help locate suspects in active crimes, allowing emergency responders to quickly develop appropriate plans. 

For example, in the case of a fire, they can help responders identify which routes to take to effectively contain its spread. And in disaster situations, they can help search and rescue teams determine the areas to focus on to save as many lives as possible. 

Improved coordination and communication

Crises often require inter-agency collaboration. In the case of fires, for example, firefighters try to contain the spread, EMS teams offer medical supplies and assistance, and law enforcement officers typically walk through scenes to determine if there’s evidence of foul play. Unfortunately, coordinating these efforts with siloed technologies can be a challenge. 

Emergency response drones ease the burden by integrating with real-time crime centers (RTCCs) and emergency dispatch. They provide a shared visual reference and relay critical data, like a fire’s direction, locations where civilians may be, and perpetrators’ movements (if there’s foul play) to command centers, enabling multiple agencies to perform their duties effectively. 

They also make it easier for agencies to assist each other. For example, from the shared visual reference, law enforcement can help firefighters minimize casualties by evacuating areas in a fire’s direction. 

Increased officer and responder safety

Saying emergency response is a dangerous job is a gross understatement — law enforcement agencies alone reported 79,091 officer assault cases in 2023. If you factor in injuries reported by firefighters and paramedics on the job, this number could very well be in the hundreds of thousands. 

Fortunately, emergency response drones can help reduce this number. While it’s impossible to guarantee responders’ safety on every call, these vehicles can provide aerial views of active emergency situations, allowing teams to assess risks remotely before deploying personnel. 

For instance, they can check for armed suspects at scenes, enabling officers to effectively plan their approach. They can also use thermal imaging to scan collapsed buildings for survivors, helping firefighters determine which areas to focus their efforts on and avoid placing personnel in risky, unnecessary situations. 

How emergency response drones work in real-world scenarios

Contrary to some belief, drones, particularly as part of a DFR program, are not surveillance devices. Law enforcement officers and other responders primarily use them to get live information in emergencies, allowing for better decision-making and more efficient responses. Here’s how they typically work for different use cases.

Search and rescue missions

Emergency response drones are invaluable in search and rescue operations because they facilitate fast responses. They can reach disaster areas in minutes and relay critical details to search and rescue teams, enabling them to hit the ground running when they get to the affected zones. 

Drones also cover more ground than traditional search parties, especially when they can fly at 400 feet instead of 200 feet, saving a lot of time in rescue missions. 

Further, when equipped with thermal imaging cameras, they can detect heat signatures, allowing teams to find lost or injured individuals faster than they would with traditional methods like rescue dogs. This can promote better rescue outcomes. 

Disaster response and damage assessment

Emergency response drones can also provide a rapid overview of disaster-stricken areas, helping first responders map damage and identify danger zones. This can aid in efficient relief planning and help responders allocate resources effectively. 

Additionally, aerial drone views can highlight blocked roads and structurally unsafe environments, allowing for better route planning and risk management. 

High-risk law enforcement operations

Drones help with reconnaissance as well, providing live streams of high-risk situations like active shooter standoffs and hostage incidents. These feeds minimize the need for direct officer confrontations, which can reduce officers’ risk of injury. 

They may also serve as eyes for SWAT teams by revealing perpetrators’ positions. This can help them approach situations safely should they decide to breach the high-risk areas. 

What to know when choosing the right emergency response drone solution

There are several emergency response drone solutions available on the market, so choosing the right one for your department can be challenging — unless you know what to look for. Here are some key factors you’ll need to consider to ensure you’re getting the ideal solution for your needs.

Automation and deployment speed

If you plan to use your drone solution to enhance officers’ situational awareness during crises or enable SWAT teams to clear high-risk environments before entering, you’ll need one that can get to crisis situations quickly.

Look for a drone solution that can deploy with minimal human input and follow pre-programmed routes to facilitate quick responses. Ideally, they should also have automated docking capabilities to reduce the need for human intervention during take-off and landing. 

For example, Flock Aerodome, the result of Flock Safety’s acquisition of Aerodome, is a ready-to-deploy drone system built to ensure quick emergency responses. It can fly an automated flight path and respond to emergencies in an average of 86 seconds, reaching scenes well before the teams on the ground. It also has battery-swapping docks, ensuring around-the-clock deployment readiness. 

Integration with existing systems

A siloed drone system can impact internal communications and derail multi-agency cooperation, ultimately slowing response times and impacting emergency services. 

So make sure your chosen solution can work in real time with crime centers, emergency dispatch systems, and any other pertinent technology you use to promote efficient emergency response. 

Flock Aerodome integrates with other valuable technologies, such as Flock License Plate Readers (LPRs) and Flock Gunshot Detection, allowing your drones to respond quickly to LPR hits, gunshots, and other alerts from your emergency dispatch systems. 

Ease of use and training

Finally, choose a solution with a simple control system that requires minimal training and can be deployed by any officer. This way, you can get your drone program up and running quickly and still leverage the technology even when “designated drone officers” are unavailable. 

Flock’s drone technology is intuitive, requiring only a keyboard and mouse to operate. It’s also automated and features augmented reality (AR) on-screen callouts, simplifying drone operations and enhancing DFR pilots’ awareness. 

Smarter, safer emergency response starts now

Drones are invaluable for enhancing emergency response teams’ efforts, but they’re not a replacement for officers — they’re a force multiplier. When you choose the right solution, you can promote faster responses, improve coordination, and enhance officer safety, resulting in more effective response efforts. 

Flock Safety offers a fully automated drone system that’s redefining how first responders do their jobs. Flock Aerodome reduces response times by 71% on average and operates beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS), allowing pilots to cover large areas efficiently before ground teams reach emergency zones. 

Schedule a demo with Flock Safety today to see how our drone system can streamline your emergency response.