New Berlin FD

My name is Kale Geiswite, Firefighter, EMSVO, Chief Pilot, and UAS Program Manager at New Berlin Fire Company in New Berlin, PA. New Berlin Fire Company is a small 100% volunteer fire department in central Union County that had a vision to bring new life saving technology to the first responders of Union, Snyder, and Northumberland counties. Our UAS drone program was first conceived from a thought in 2020 and came into existance in 2021 with 4 pilots and 6 team members after a lengthy paperwork process and training program with the FAA and NFPA on licensing and risk management was completed for all 6 members of the team. We gained full support from our Central 911 dispatch center and our county emergency management team. Through generous donations from NPS DDP (National Public Safety Drone Donation Program), Duboistown Fire Department, PA Skill, Cargill Corporation of Winfield, Harbor Freight, and Walmart we were able to gather enough funding to start the program. Our fleet currently consists of a response trailer, Yuneec and DJI Enterprise drones capable of thermal imaging as well as scene lighting from above and loudspeaker communications and screen casting to larger devices for viewing of incident commanders on emergency scenes and law enforcement personnel.

This technology was most recently used to assist the State Police with overwatch on an emergency scene minimizing risk to first responders at the scene and providing enhanced situational awareness. Our goal is to update and grow our program, educate other agencies on how we can assist them and provide community education on proper drone use, laws, and demonstrations to enhance public trust and understanding of this technology. We are proud to partner with like minded agencies to our north to create the Northcentral "ROVER" Remotely Operated Vehicles For Emegency Response Task Force. The goal of this Task Force is much the same as our own and we meet together and will train together to enhance our operational coverage and capability.

North Central Pennsylvania Unmanned Emergency Services

North Central Pennsylvania Unmanned Emergency Services (Aka: Tioga County Department 50) is a stand-alone emergency services department that began in March of 2021. The department, located in Tioga County PA, serves a primary coverage area of over 2,000 square miles and is the only department in that area using unmanned technology (airborne and marine systems).

The department's motto is "Novus Optios" (Latin for "new options") and its mission statement is to Enhance the safety and effectiveness of Emergency Response operations through unmanned technology and aviation liaison services. Since March 2021, they have responded to over 40 Emergency calls, including searches, land rescues, water rescues, flood damage assessments, structure and wild fires, and law enforcement incidents. The department's ranks include pilots, combat veterans, LEO's, paramedics, and a variety of other professions that mesh to form an efficient, well-rounded balance of operational and support personnel. In addition to their operational mission, the department has recognized their unique position to influence future, tech-driven generations of volunteers and has made youth outreach and education a priority. A recent grant provided funding for an unmanned aerial simulator that is used to allow students to experience realistic drone operations and missions without any risk of crashing or damaging actual equipment.

Expanding from their unmanned operations mission, they've spent the last several months working directly with US Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations to establish and develop a division that mirrors the AMO GTAC program. They are the first civilian agency to work directly with the GTAC program for this purpose; recently completing a several day workgroup session with a federal agent that was sent to PA to help guide and mentor the development process. The department leadership is a strong supporter of the North Central PA ROVER Work Group, which meets regularly to share ideas and best practices between several regional drone programs.

Laporte Vol FD

Hello, My name is Daniel Morrison, Fire Chief, EMT, Chief Pilot at Laporte Volunteer Fire Department located in Sullivan County, Pa. In 2020 we saw the benefits of having a Drone in our department. We serve 99 square miles with Fire, EMS and Rescue services as our primary coverage area.

Since starting our Drone team, we have been traveling to other counties such as Lycoming, Bradford, Columbia and Tioga to assist in aiding Fire Departments, Pa State Police and other agency's needing our assistance. Our team is made up as 4 Part 107 pilots and 6 support personnel giving us a total of 10 responders to assist with Operations, Logistics, Mapping and Aircraft Spotters. We started out program small with a DJI Phantom 3 donated by the NPS-DDP ( National Public Safety Drone Donation Program.) After 6 months we upgraded to a DJI Mavic Dual Enterprise with thermal capabilities. For the past 2 years we have been operating the Mavic to assist with missing individuals as well as, assist Pa State Police with tracking wanted fugitives. Our most recent success came from assisting law enforcement with a running fugitive in a heavily wooded area.

We launched the Mavic aircraft and within

10 minutes had the fugitive's location we then hovered to monitor the situation until law enforcement made contact and took the fugitive in custody. In March 2023 we purchased through donations made to our program the new DJI Matric 30T. Pilot training with the new system has begun, we hope to have this new aircraft in service soon.

These 4 departments are able to work together and also maintain their individual identities. The greatest benefit we experience is the ability to provide eyes in the sky for any department in need. We will continue to build upon the capabilities of our working group in Northcentral PA to use drones for good. Together we can make a difference.

Paul Vavra - Duboistown Fire and EMS

Kale Geiswite - New Berlin FD

Ron Warren - NCPA Unmanned Emergency Services

Dan Morrison - Laporte Vol FD