Making $100,000 In Training Scholarships Available

On the anniversary of their appearance on ABC’s Shark Tank, DARTdrones has pledged $100,000 in drone training grants to public safety organizations as a way to give back. A year ago, the small team at DARTdrones eagerly awaited their moment in the spotlight, preparing to be featured on Shark Tank. Since that time, the company tripled the size of their team, expanded training to 40 cities across the country, and added curriculum that not only helps industry professionals get started in drones, but also provides police, fire, and federal agencies with drone training that can help save lives. DARTdrones has trained over 70 police and fire departments and utilizes flight instructors with both public safety and manned aviation experience.

Drones can help first responders reduce response times, increase mission success rates, document operations, and save more lives. Despite these impressive benefits, the financial costs involved in getting a drone program off the ground remains a barrier for many public safety organizations. DARTdrones believes every department should have the opportunity to utilize drone technology in its daily operations. To achieve this goal, the company is launching the DARTdrones Public Safety Grant, which provides a pathway for departments to adopt this cutting-edge technology.

Recipients of the DARTdrones Public Safety Grant will be awarded full or partial funding for their initial training needs, potentially including basic flight training, Part 107 test prep, search and rescue training, accident investigation training, aerial disaster response training, and a number of consulting and legal documentation writing services.

DARTdrones drone academy already offers a number of free resources online for public safety departments including “Starting a Drone Program with Your Police Department,” “Starting a Drone Program with Your Fire Department,” and “The Lives Saved with Search and Rescue Drones 2017.” Additionally, the company will work with grant participants to collect data on the use of drones in public operations to continue the development of new and thorough training programs as technology and additional use-cases emerge.

DARTdrones’ Public Safety Flight Instructors have leapt at the opportunity to support the new initiative. “From mapping a disaster area to providing a safe evacuation route, drones provide critical intelligence to a police officer entering a dangerous situation. As a public safety UAS instructor, there is no greater pride than seeing the knowledge and skills you impart on your students being used towards saving lives,” said Mike Uleski, DARTdrones’ Chief Public Safety Instructor and Daytona law enforcement officer, firefighter, and EMT.

"With tight budgets and the need for a force multiplier, public safety entities across the country are beginning to see the value in utilizing sUAS in their day-to-day operations," said Paul Matheson, another DARTdrones Public Safety Flight Instructor and a Helicopter pilot for Air Ambulance operations and search and rescue missions. "The advantage of having eyes in the sky providing situational awareness, scene security, command and control, investigation, search and assist, and patrol at a far lower cost than a manned aviation unit is changing the game for public safety operations – this is the future.”

The DARTdrones team hopes their pledge of $100,000 towards drone training is just the beginning for this program. DARTdrones is working with other drone software and services companies to expand the reach and offerings of this grant.

(Image provided with DARTdrones news release)

FMI: dartdrones.com