<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=066Kr8_1GvKS6uG00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=066Kr8_1GvKS6uG00" width="1922" height="1078" ><figcaption>By Kara Jeffers</figcaption></figure>HARRISBURG– A quiet whirr traveled over the grassy grove behind Pennsylvania’s state capitol as a drone flew past bystanders– a white, cardboard box hanging from the device.The drone gently lowered the box to the ground and flew away when the rope disconnected, leaving House Transportation Chair Ed Neilson to fetch the box and rummage through AEDs, epipens, and other medical devices crucial to time sensitive emergencies.This morning’s brief demonstration showed how emergency response services could change in Pennsylvania, if county governments integrate drone technology.“When you’re in the middle of the woods, camping and hiking… at times, its difficult to get to,” Neilson said. “This drone technology allows those services to get there in moments.”EMS, police, and businesses based in Johnstown, Pennsylvania organized the demonstration with Neilson. Many of the groups are part of Drones814, a pilot program operated by the Southern Alleghenies Planning and Development Commission using a $1.92 million U.S. Dept. of Transportation grant.The pilot program goal was to improve survival rates in rural and hard-to-reach communities.Several drone companies helped develop the software to let a 9-1-1 call alert a drone operator simultaneously to an ambulance service. In practices this summer, Cambria County’s Department of Emergency Services drone with medical equipment arrived 4-5 minutes before an ambulance.“Four or five minutes is huge when it comes to putting a tourniquet and trying to prevent bleeding, or administering Narcan, AED, all that equipment,” said Tom Davis, executive director of Cambria County Emergency Services.Davis clarified that the drones don’t replace ambulance servicesSupporters of the system say it gets supplies to the scene faster when rural regions have a small amount of ambulances covering large swaths of land.“We’re losing ambulance services. We only have 15 ambulances services that covers 63 municipalities within our county,” Davis said.Drone deliveries could be key to survival if the nearest ambulance to an emergency is a 15-20 mile drive away.“The most expensive part is the manpower to be able to utilize it. So that’s the workforce training and all that stuff,” Neilson said.Costs for the drone integration into a county averages $250,000, depending on region population and existing infrastructure. As the federal grant money dries up, program creators want state funding to help other counties replicate the technology integration.“What’s the cost of a life? You might save a life by having this technology available. I look at it as another tool in the toolbox of first responders. I think legislators should give first responders as many tools as possible,” Neilson said.Law enforcement agencies are also embracing drone use; Mark Britton, Johnstown’s chief of police, said the flying machines help with surveillance during confrontations and tracking suspects fleeing a crime scene.“That drone would pick that vehicle up, where its going, or that person- may be able to see that person leaving the scene, he has a gun on him, he’s running, you can see he throws the weapon he has,” Britton said.There’s four keys to making drone use in emergency service responses an option and not just a daydream: the drone itself, software, sensor infrastructure, and pilots.“Up until very recently, the pilot had to see the drone when its flying,” said John Eberhardt, managing director of ATA Aviation. “We are now at a point that the technology is sophisticated enough that I can fly the drone ten or fifteen miles to bring diabetic medication to someone who’s in diabetic shock.”Drones themselves need the power, battery life, and network connection to deliver medical packages across the distances found in rural counties.Then, 9-1-1 dispatch centers need the software to sort which calls could benefit from a drone, and a way to alert drone pilots of the call details. 9-1-1 dispatchers themselves would then also need the training to talk a patient through the arrival and use of medical equipment.They need trained pilots to execute the calls. Ideally, a county would have multiple pilots stationed at strategic points around the region.Lastly, as drone ranges increase, pilots need a way to sense other traffic in the sky. That requires physical infrastructure- like sensors- installed across the land.“We’re building a sensor network throughout Pennsylvania that allows the drones to communicate with each other, communicate with the ground, and make sure that the operator who’s flying that drone 15 miles doesn’t hit anything,” Eberhardt said.</div></body>

Block Source: NewsChannel 36

Misinformation

Clickbait

Old or repetitive news

Explicit content

Location not relevant

HARRISBURG– A quiet whirr traveled over the grassy grove behind Pennsylvania’s state capitol as a drone flew past bystanders– a white, cardboard box hanging from the device. The drone gently lowered the box to the ground and flew away when the rope disconnected, leaving House Transportation Chair...

Drones Support Ambulance Services in Pilot Program Seeking State Cash

NewsBreak

HARRISBURG– A quiet whirr traveled over the grassy grove behind Pennsylvania’s state capitol as a drone flew past bystanders– a white, cardboard box hangin

Drones Support Ambulance Services in Pilot Program Seeking State Cash

Comments