The Value of Pre-dispatch Drone Use for Emergency Services

1. FIRSTIZ FirstEyesfor FirstResponders TheValue of Pre-Dispatch Drone Usefor Emergency Services Whitepaper AuthoredbyNeilHorden February 12 ,2021 ©2021PhirstTechnologies ,LLC . FIRST iZisatrademark ofPhirstTechnologies ,LLC .

2. 2 TheValueofPre -Dispatch Drone UseforEmergency Services FIRSTIZ™ Contents Introduction 4 Currentpublicsafety drone use 4 Value of video 4 Settingofexpectationsbyother technologies &bythe media 4 Shortfallsofexistingsolutions 4 Potential new use cases 5 Market size 5 Technology adoptionhurdles 5 FIRST IZTM Hybrid VTOL drone shown Funding 7 Conclusion 8

3. 3 TheValueofPre -Dispatch DroneUseforEmergency Services FIRSTIZ™ M 66 The use of drones ,also referred to as Unmanned AerialVehicles(UAVs ),to support emergency publicsafetyandfirst responderdispatchhas significant value,howeverthere aresome challengesin itsimplementation. 03

4. 4 FIRST?? ™ TheValueofPre -Dispatch Drone UseforEmergency Services TheValueof Pre-Dispatch Drone Usefor Emergency Services Introduction However ,the majorityoflive"realtime"videoislimitedto highlytargeted areas ,suchasthe viewfromtrafficcameras ,fixedsecuritycamerasand similarinstallations . Untilnowtherehasbeennopractical method to receive livevideofromthesceneofanemergency dispatch priortothe arrival ofresponders . The use of drones , also referred (UAVS ), to support emergency public safety and first responder dispatchhassignificantvalue , howevertherearesomechallengesinits implementation. to as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Thisnextgeneration ofautonomous drones willbecapable ofproviding realtimelivevideotoboththedispatch centerandtheresponding units withinminutesofacall,wellbeforeanyresources areon-scene . Whilepublicsafetyagencieshavestartedusingdronesfor certain situations ,theyhavenotyetbeenwidelyadopted forpre -dispatch and duringdispatchactivities . The challengesof autonomouslylaunching andnavigating toanareaofinterestusingGPS andcomputertechnology , makes thisapplication significantly moreadvanced thanthecurrently available commercial andconsumer drone systems .This newtechnology allowsUAVs tobefirstonthescene ,minutes beforeresponders ,providing anoverviewofthesituation andcapturing videoto aidintheresponse andincrease publicsafety . CurrentPublicSafetydroneuse Publicsafetyinitiallyusedmanuallypiloteddrones , principally for observation responders oncetheywereonscene .This assisted lifesaving effortssuchasrescuefromstructurefires ,wildfires ,hazmat ,lostpersons searches ,aswellaslawenforcement andotheremergency services by improvingsituational awareness .Withtheadventofwirelessbroadband cellular smartphones ,video captured bythesedrones canbedistributed to both on-scene and off-scene usersfor better managementof the emergency scene . Whilethe valueof live on-scenevideo is inherentlyobvious ,this new capability alsoprovides abaseforsystemic improvements responderefficiencyandsafetyof boththe responding unitsandpublic. In almost no other situation can live overhead video add more value. Settingofexpectationsby othertechnologies&bythe media , enhancing Realtimevideoisrapidlybecoming thenormforinformation gathering . Peoplehavecometoexpectarealtime,liveviewofongoing eventsand the explosion of smartphones andwirelesscamerashasprovidedthe technology , whileTVshowsaswellasvideosimulations andafterthe factrecreations onpublicnewsmediaarereinforcing thisexpectation . Thepublicisnolongeranticipating afuturetechnology toprovide these features ,theyareexpecting thatthiscapability exists andisbeingusedby theirlocalresponseagencies .Theunderstanding thatusingtechnology canmakecitiessaferreducesasignificantbarrierto acceptingthisnew technology. Shortfallsof existingsolutions Existing videoreconnaissance technology relies onpreplaced cameras , suchassecurity andtrafficcameras ,andthelimitedperspective ofthose firstarrivingonthescene . Othercommonpublicsafetydroneusesincludepre -emergency information gathering ,suchascreation andverification ofmaps ,andthe collectionof imageryto beusedto assistinpublicsafetydispatch and responseactivities. Newautonomous andsemi -autonomous dronetechnologyhasstarted extendingtheseapplicationsto allowfor easieron-sceneoperation .It alsocanprovideothernoveluses ,suchasdeliveryofmedicalequipment , supplies ,andotherequipmentto responders on-scene . Value of video Theselimitationsaresignificant , in that a firstresponder wouldhave difficulty handling bothresponse tasks andproviding quality video .Also , thevideoprovided wouldhavethelimitedperspective oftheon-ground responder .Additionally , thedistraction of manning the camera would likelyreducesituational awareness ,potentiallyputtingthefirstresponder at risk . Obtainingoverheadwide areaand targetedvideo from a location requiringemergency servicesprovidesvaluableinformation not otherwise available during thedispatch andpre -arrival periods .Itcan alsocontinuesupporting emergency services onceresponders areon scene . Untilrecently mostpublicsafetyvideowasprimarily usedfor'afterthe fact' applications , suchasinvestigations livevideohasbecome moreavailable ,applications leveraging itsgreater valuehavedevelopedanditsvaluehasdramatically increased . Evenwhena bystander canprovidevideofroma smartphone , the perspectivewould be limited . Additionally , there is significantrisk andpotentially liabilitybyhaving bystanders remain inanemergency response area ,ratherthanretreating toasafelocation asisbestpractice . ,andevidentiary purposes .As

5. 5 TheValueofPre -Dispatch DroneUseforEmergency Services FIRST IZ™ Potential new use cases Onceanautomated dronevideosystem isinplacetheuser's agencies will findadditionalwaysto integratethe systemintotheiroperation , helpingto reduceinefficiencies that were previouslythoughtto be unavoidable .Drones usedbeforeandduringaresponse willlikelylead to otherusesthathavenotyet beenanticipated because therewasno technologyto supportthem. Almosteverytechnologygoesthrough thissameexpansionof use , andit isreasonable to expectautonomous responsedronesto dothe same. localcivicpriorities ,theydonotadoptnewtechnologies orprocesses in auniformmanner .Thisistrue,evenfordomains wherebestpractices and standardsarewell established . This fragmented structure maybeachallenge formarket growth ofanew technology ;however ,italsoprovides anopportunity .Whilethemajority ofthemarket mayadoptnewtechnology slowly ,somecommunities (and theagencies withinthem )pridethemselves onbeingtechnology leaders andearlyadopters . Bytargetingthe publicsafetydispatchagenciesin these communities , valuable lessons and market momentum can be builtwithlowerriskthanabroadmarket approach .These earlyadopters providea testinggroundfor the integration of the technologyinto established operational processes andprocedures withsignificantly less riskthanthelater(andfrequently larger )market segments .Asatargetfor theearlymarket deployments ,theseusers becomeasource ofresearch andassistance indevelopingnewandinnovative applications beyond those firstenvisioned. Technologyadoption hurdles Whilemuchof the publicsafetydispatch marketis stillfragmented , with technologyand operationaldecisionsoften madeat the local level, progress isbeingmade .Agencies andthe national organizations supporting themhaveworkedtodevelopstandards andbestpractices to unifyoperational procedures andthetechnology theyrelyupon . Market size Theexactmarketsizefor anynewtechnology isdifficultto measure , howeverahigh-levelreviewofthe marketshowsthepotentialforthese systems. The UnitedStateshasover 3100countiesor countylike entities¹ . the mostcommonlevelof government supporting emergency first responder dispatch .However ,duetooverlapping publicsafetydispatch responsibilities ,thereareover8800activePublic Safety Answering Points (PSAPS )² basedoninformation fromtheFCCdatabase .Whilethesevary insizeconsiderably , if only15 %deploysystems of5drones each ,over 5000dronesand1000controlsystemswouldbeneeded . PublicsafetyandPSAPS arepartofasignificantly disjointed market .Most operateunder some form of local governmentalmanagement , with someunderlawenforcement ,othersunderemergency management andsomedirectlyunder thecounty orlocality .Duetodifferences inthe management structure , differences infundingandevendifferences in Standards andprocedures canbeadouble -edgedsword .Theymakea stablepatheasierto maintain , butslowchangesinthe paththatcanbe createdwithnewertechnology .Theexistingsolutions ,althoughlimited, arewell integratedintothe processes andprocedures of a PSAP . The , 66 Thisnext generation of autonomous drones will becapableofprovidingrealtimelive video to both the dispatch centerandthe respondingunitswithin minutesof acall, well beforeanyresourcesareon-scene . Waze ¹https ://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/tallies.html 2https ://www.fcc.gov/general/9-1-1-master-psap-registry continuedonnextpage

6. 6 FIRSTIZ™ TheValueofPre -Dispatch Drone UseforEmergency Services Van drones used inthe The challenge foranewtechnology ,suchasautonomous dispatch environment ,willbetofirst ,identify themarkets where fundingis available fortheimplementation ,andsecond todemonstrate efficiency increases sothatthetechnology canbemorebroadly deployed . FIRSTIZTM Autonomous DroneSolution

7. 7 TheValueofPre -Dispatch DroneUseforEmergency Services FIRSTIZ™ Technologyadoption hurdles , continued Thechallengefor a newtechnology , suchasautonomous drones usedinthedispatchenvironment ,will beto first,identifythe markets wherefundingis availablefor the implementation , andsecondto demonstrate efficiency increases sothatthetechnology canbemore broadly deployed . standardsandbestpractices , aswell asthe ongoingpushfor quality in operations , hasincreasedthe relianceon these well-developed procedures. Thiscreatesa 'chickenandegg ' problem for newtechnology as it requireschangesin the establishedworkflowsthat peopleare resistant to change . Theoperational challenge iseasierto overcome whenworkingwithagencies thathaveahistory anddesire tobeearly adopters oftechnology .Thesuccesses oftheseearlyimplementations canthenprovide theknowledge andprototype procedures toassist in furtherdeployments intheindustry . Thedifficultyin determining whetheranautonomous dronesolution , such as FIRSTIZTM , would be considereda valid expensefor 9-1-1 fundingis significant . Thesituationis that eachState , for the mostpartindependently , determines whatisandwhatisnotavalid '9-1-1 ' expense . Somestatesprovidelittle to no guidance , while others , whileprovidecategories of expenses thatarequitebroad allowing avarietyof publicsafetycosts(typicallysomewhat related to "dispatch " or "communications ") to be included . Otherstateshave takena muchstricterinterpretation andapplythefundsspecifically to the requirements of onlyPSAP facilities , systems , andstaff . This categorization isdoneeitherthroughlegislation , whichmayrequire additional legislation toamend ,andthroughadministrative guidelines , whichdepending onthestateareoftenmoreflexible . Newtelecommunications andcomputing technologies haveflooded the publicsafetydispatchenvironment in recentyears , creatinga secondaryissue .Dispatch operations thathadbeenusingfairlysimple telephone , radioandcomputeraideddispatchinterfaces mustnow work with advancedlocationand mapping , short messageservice (SMS) text , broadband data, and multimedia video .All of this has been addedinarelativelyshorttime,generatingaconcernwith"Technology Overload " and distractionsissues³ .A completedronevideosolution mustaddresstheseconcerns , managingdistractionandoverloadto elicit apositiveresponsefromthe dispatchstaff . Funding Funding forpublicsafetydispatch comesprimarily fromfeesandtaxes added to retail and commercial telecommunications locations,thishascreatedareliableflowoffunds,however ,thisfunding maynotbe sufficient to updatedispatchoperations . Insomeareas , mostlyrural , fundingfalls short , andagencieshavelittle available for systemreplacement , let aloneimplementing newtechnologies . However , in otherareasof the country , the fundscollectedarein excessof needsand havebeendivertedawayfrom their intended use4 , resulting ininsufficient fundingfornewtechnology andsystem upgrades. TheFCCproduces anannualreporton9-1-1 funding , trackingthe performance ofeachstate .ThemostrecentFCC 9-1-1 fundingreports showsthat48statesmandatehowfundsareto be used.Thereport alsoshowsthat out of those48states29statesspecificallyallowfor somesupportofdispatchradiosystems .Thisinformation maysuggest which states allowflexibility inapplying forfunding aspartofthe9-1-1 system. bills. In most Information fromaselection ofstates wasreviewed asbackground for thispaper , howeveramorethoroughState -by-Stateresearch effortis recommended to reliablyfocusmarketing activitiesfor autonomous dronesystems .Additionally , evaluation ofthespecific wording from eachstate's requirements orguidelines mayassist inmarketing efforts , byproviding insight intohowtheFIRST iZautonomous dronesystem shouldbedescribedto maximize theopportunity andavailability of 9-1-1 funding . continuedon next page 60% 29outof48mandated states specifically allowfordispatch radio systems funding 3Schreiner ,Matt,"FillingTheJar:HowMuchTechIsTooMuch ?",PublicSafetyCommunications Jan / Feb2021 4https://www.911.gov/issue_costsandfunding.html

8. 8 FIRST?? ™ TheValueofPre -Dispatch Drone UseforEmergency Services Funding,continued Theattached document fromtheState ofMichiganprovides asample ofhowastatemaypresent allowable anddisallowable expenses . Onesignificant issue addressed intheFCC reports istheofdiversion of9-1-1 feesandtaxes tootheruses bysomestates .Thisdiversion isseen asaserious matter forPSAP funding .Several states arespecifically identified ,andtheamount ofdiverted fundsispublished withinthereport . Thedataprovidedinthetablebelowisfromthe12thAnnual9-1-1FeeReport20207. Itdetailsthedivertedfundsfromthefiveidentifiedstates . TotalFunds Used for OtherPurposees Percentage Diverted Total Funds Collected (YearEnd2019 ) State/Jurisdiction TypeofTransfer PublicSafety Related (Diverted forPolice Body Cameras ) Public Safety andUnrelated Public Safety andUnrelated Public Safety andUnrelated Public Safety andUnrelated $2,857,298.24 Nevada NewJersey $93,571,000.00 $124,393,000.00 75.20 % New York $233,290,722.00 $97,282,231.07 41.70 % RhodeIsland $15,340,800.24 $8,340,800.24 54.40% WestVirginia $63,081,749.38 $1,000,000.00 1.60% $200,194,031.31 $438,963,569.86 Total TheFCCisworkingto correctthe issuewithdivertedfunds. These effortsmaycreatesomeopportunities inthestates wherethisactivity hasbeensignificant by redirecting fundsto new9-1-1 supporting systems andtechnologies . willingness touse9-1-1 fundsforitemsnotspecifically permitted .This couldincrease hesitancy andresistance toinnovative solutions ,such asautonomous drones ,thatdonotfitneatlyintooneofthepermitted categories. TheFCC isintheprocess ofrulemaking ,tobetterdefine thecollection and use of 9-1-1fees. All previousFederallevel work had been recommendations anddid notembodyfederalregulations of any form.Theresultsof thiscurrentrulemakingeffortwill defineforthe states; the collection of 9-1-1fees and taxes, the allowed and dis allowedexpenses ,andtheprohibitionofdiversionoffunds . Thischangeinthe overallfundingenvironment couldpointto the strategy to redefine (orpartially redefine ) FIRST iZasasystem for the communications of livevideofor the purpose of improving9-1-1 dispatch efficiency . Movingthefocusfromthe"FirstResponders "to the"Dispatch "operationcouldhelpfitthesolutionintoanacceptable category . Takingthisconceptfurther , havingFIRST iZ presented a asaCADextension , ratherthanaseparate systemcouldalsobean avenueto pursue. In attemptingto evaluatethe potentialincreasein fundingfrom the correctionof diversion , the abovetable providesa fairly good estimateof the funds identifiedby the FCCas being diverted . However ,itmust berealizedthat mostof thestatesthatdeposit9-1-1 fees intotheir 'GeneralFund ', claimto applyat leasta portionto PublicSafetyCommunications or PublicSafetyingeneral .Sincethis isprobablytruetheelimination ofdiversion willlikelynotgenerate the fullamount shown as'new 'funding available for9-1-1 ,Since itislikely thatsomeofthefundspreviously diverted willcontinue tobeusedto cover these costs . Conclusion Understanding whatis happening at the sceneof an emergency , atthe momentofdispatch ,cansavelivesandpropertybyallowing responders to haveanearlyassessment of the situation .It canalso reduce deployment of excessiveresourcesand ensurethat the appropriate levelof response is used . Autonomous dronesarethe onlycurrent technology thatcanimprove thisunderstanding over wideareas , becomingthe obvioussolution . Whileimplementation is notwithoutchallenges ,thegroundwork hasbeensetbyvarious video collectionand distributiontechnologies , combinedwith the growinguseofdronesinthepublicsafetyresponder market .Thisis agoodsignthatboththetechnology andthemarket areready . A potential concern createdbytheincreased federalattention to the9-1-1 fundinganddiversion issueisthattherulesandregulations created maymake innovative solutions harder tofitintotheallowable spendingcategories . Giventhe natureof Federalregulations , even thespecterofoversight coulddampenlocaldecision makers intheir 512thannual911feereport2020.pdf 6https://www.michigan.gov/documents/ListingofAllowable_14259_7.pdf |Federal Communications Commission (fcc.gov )Pgs .23-28 7https://www.fcc.gov/files/12thannual911feereport2020pdf Pgs.49-50 8https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-seeks-combat-911-fee-diversion About the author : About FIRST iZ: NeilHorden has37years 'experience incommunications ,spanning technologies fromLandMobileRadio systems tothecellularmarket .AsChiefConsultant for anationwide consulting firm ,hehasledeffortsinthedesign andanalysis of systemsfromstatewideLMRandLTEnetworks , to localandregionalvoice , data,andmicrowave systems .Horden isamember oftheAssociation ofPublic SafetyCommunications Officials(APCO ) International , NationalEmergency Number Association (NENA), and The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers(IEEE ). Heserveson the boardof directors for the NG9-1-1Institute andProject 25Technology Interest Group(PTIG ),andontheEditorial Advisory Boardfor Mission CriticalCommunications magazine . FIRSTiZ, a product of PhirstTechnologies , LLC , is a patent -pending autonomousdrone solution designedto provideroutinesurveillance , and/ or incidentresponse . FIRST iZ UAVSareremotelydispatched , sendinglive videoand data intransitto centralcommandandauthorizeddevices . Upon completedmission ,the UAVreturnsto its assignedFIRST PortTM weather -controlled,remotely -operatedhangar ,whereitautomaticallycharges andoffloads data ,allwithnohumancontactrequirement .Phirst Technologies , LLC(PTL ) is headquartered in Tyler , TX , and its productsare proudly designed , engineered , and manufactured in the UnitedStatesof America . www.firstiz.com $¸2021 PhirstTechnologies ,LLC .FIRST iZisatrademarkofPhirstTechnologies ,LLC .210316 v1.1 , a rugged ,