Denton police and firefighters who are certified drone pilots will be able to launch drones within seconds of certain 911 calls beginning Oct. 1 under a monthlong Drone as a First Responder pilot program announced by the Denton Police and Denton Fire Departments.
The DFR pilot program is intended to improve emergency response times, enhance public safety and give responders real-time information when responding to 911 calls. The departments said the drones may be launched for certain calls, including traffic crashes, missing persons, in-progress robberies and structure fires.
The program uses Skydio X10 DFR drones housed in docking stations, where they remain powered and ready for deployment. When a drone is launched, certified pilots will fly it directly to the 911 call location and send live video feeds to pilots in Denton’s 911 Dispatch Center.
“When someone calls 911, every second matters,” said Interim Police Chief Tony Salas. “The DFR pilot program allows officers and firefighters to arrive on scene with improved situational awareness, helping us keep Denton safe for everyone.”
The pilot expands on Denton’s Joint Public Safety Uncrewed Aircraft System Program, which began in 2022. Since then, officers and firefighters have transported drones to scenes to help with searches for critically missing people, mapping of major traffic crashes and fires, overwatch of prescribed burns and other uses.
Program details
- Program: Monthlong Drone as a First Responder pilot program
- Start date: Oct. 1
- Agencies: Denton Police and Denton Fire Departments
- Drone model: Skydio X10 DFR drones
- 911 calls: Certain calls, including traffic crashes, missing persons, in-progress robberies and structure fires
- Flight records: Every DFR flight will be tied to a 911 call for service; all flights and flight data will be recorded
- Public information: A transparency dashboard and more program information are available at www.cityofdenton.com/dfr
The departments said the public dashboard will allow residents to view flight information as the monthlong pilot moves forward.