DARTdrones has announced that it is pledging $100,000 in UAS training grants to public safety organizations as a way to give back, and ultimately, save more lives with UAS.

For DARTdrones, UAS provide a number of benefits for public safety entities and first responders, but the financial costs associated with launching a UAS program remains an obstacle for many public safety organizations.

DARTdrones believes that every department should have the opportunity to use UAS technology as part of its daily operations, so with this in mind, the company is launching the DARTdrones Public Safety Grant to provide 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, which could potentially include basic flight training, Part 107 test prep and aerial disaster response training, just to name a few things.

For DARTdrones’ Public Safety Flight Instructors, having access to this technology would be extremely beneficial for public safety entities throughout the United States.

“From mapping a disaster area to providing a safe evacuation route, drones provide critical intelligence to a police officer entering a dangerous situation,” says Mike Uleski, DARTdrones’ Chief Public Safety Instructor and Daytona law enforcement officer, firefighter, and EMT.

Paul Matheson, another DARTdrones Public Safety Flight Instructor and a Helicopter pilot for Air Ambulance operations and search and rescue missions, says, “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.”

DARTdrones’ announcement of its $100,000 pledge comes on the one-year anniversary of the company’s appearance on ABC’s Shark Tank. Shark Tank gives entrepreneurs the opportunity to present their ideas to wealthy tycoons, with the goal of getting these businessmen and women to invest money in the contestants' ideas. 

Since its appearance on Shark Tank, DARTdrones has tripled the size of its team. The company has also expanded training to 40 cities across the country, and added curriculum that helps industry professionals get started in UAS, as well as provide police, fire, and federal agencies with UAS training that can help save lives.

DARTdrones says that it has trained more than 70 police and fire departments. The company uses flight instructors with both public safety and manned aviation experience.