Public safety agencies are one of the fastest-growing adopters of unmanned aircraft systems technology. Utilizing UAS provides opportunities and advantages to law enforcement officers, firefighters and emergency management personnel, but knowing where to start in developing a UAS operation can be complicated.
Kansas State Polytechnic is offering a free webinar and live question and answer session from noon to 1 p.m. CDT Thursday, April 15, to provide guidance to public safety and emergency management organizations on how to start a UAS operation.
The free webinar will cover identifying a need, budgeting, technology decisions, training and legal considerations. Law enforcement officials currently managing a UAS operation will also join the webinar to discuss lessons learned, including how to gain leadership and community buy-in, and identifying funding sources. Kansas State Polytechnic UAS experts will be available to answer questions.
The webinar is free, but registration is required by noon CDT Friday, April 14.
“K-State Polytechnic strives to support fire, law enforcement and emergency management professionals and their use of UAS,” said Kurt Carraway, UAS department head and UAS executive director of the K-State Polytechnic Applied Aviation Research Center. “In 2018 we launched our UAS Law Enforcement training course. In 2019, we began to offer first responder scholarships to our sUAS Commercial Remote Pilot training. And in 2020, we released our UAS Fire and HAZMAT Response training. We recognize the important role UAS plays in public safety and want to support organizations in embracing UAS.”
Kansas State Polytechnic is a nationally recognized expert in the UAS industry and has been part of numerous research projects advising rules and regulations in the industry. In addition to two nationally ranked UAS bachelor’s degrees, K-State Polytechnic provides numerous UAS training opportunities. Nearly 40% of training attendees with Kansas State Polytechnic are professionals in law enforcement, fire and emergency management.
Contact K-State Polytechnic Professional Education and Outreach with questions at profed@k-state.edu.
