Drones for Public Safety

Drones for search & rescue, firefighting, and law enforcement.

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Vision Aerial drones are proudly made in America.

Using Drones for Public Safety Applications

Drones for public safety are increasingly valued for a variety of applications. In search and rescue, quickly finding people in rugged locations is key to saving lives. Firefighters use drones to develop situational awareness, identify hot spots, locate trapped people, and conduct forensic investigations. In law enforcement, drones are used for surveillance, crowd control, traffic management, accident reconstruction, and crime scene investigations.

aerial thermal image of people in the woods

Search & Rescue

Vector hexacopter drone with firefighter and a smoky building

Fire Fighting

police offers standing in front of a police station

Law Enforcement

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Respond Rapidly

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Receive Data
in Real-Time

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Reach Inaccessible Environments

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Reduce Costs

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Why Vision Aerial?

Reach Inaccessible Environments

Reduce Costs

Rapid Response Saves Lives

When an urgent call comes into dispatch, the response time can make the difference between life and death. Unlike helicopters, drones can be deployed within minutes from a nearby location. Drones also have the ability to scan wide areas with cameras and sensors. They can also cover more area than a ground team can and in a fraction of the time. Once the subject is found, the drone can transmit a precise GPS location. Then the subject can be reached more quickly by first responders.

search and rescue with person on a liter
Thermal image of a fire in a home taken with a Flir thermal sensor

Benefit from Enhanced Data in Real-Time

In search and rescue missions, thermal and infrared cameras can see what the human eye can not. Infrared cameras can spot a heat source from a human footprint from as high up as 10,000 feet. A search team on the ground can watch live feeds from video and thermal sensors. Once the missing person is found, a camera operator can zoom in with a high-resolution lens to assess their condition. This helps the rescue team determine what kind of response support is needed.

Reach Inaccessible Areas

Helicopters and airplanes aren’t always practical in urban settings. Drones can fly between buildings or hover in a spot on command. In wilderness settings, drones can reach areas not easily reachable on foot. They also have the advantage of an aerial view.

photo of a man looking over a cliff
photo of a search and rescue helicopter

Less Expensive Than Traditional Methods

An airplane or helicopter rental can cost thousands of dollars per hour. There is also the cost of a pilot, support crew, and fuel. Small drones are considerably less expensive to deploy.

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Why Use Vision Aerial Platforms for Public Safety?

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Rapid Deployment

Vision Aerial drones fold for easy transport. Go from case to flight in under 2 minutes.

Vision Aerial drones are easy to fly

Easy To Fly

Less than 4 hours of training time, intuitive controls, and ultra-smooth flight mean your team can focus on what matters.

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Highly Adaptable

Our drones can carry all the best-in-class cameras and sensors. They easily adapt to support your missions as they evolve.

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Capable Platforms

Long flight times combined with a substantial payload capacity ensure you have the power to get your job done.

Recommended System for Public Safety

Public Safety System (PSF)

The Public Safety Drone system (PSF) offered by Vision Aerial allows you to conduct an aerial survey a scene in both the visible light and the thermal spectrum. Perfect for applications like search and rescue, urban or wildland firefighting, and law enforcement. Detect hot spots or provide coordination for ground teams. Capture high-resolution images or video in real time.

Features quick deployment when time is of the essence, with less than a 2-minute setup.  It is also easy to transport and comes in a weatherproof Pelican case that has compartments for all your accessories. It is also great for accessing hard to reach areas in rugged conditions, and it has an autonomous range of up to 16 km (10 mi) which is incredibly useful for search and rescue applications or monitoring wildfires.

The Indefinite Flight Package (IFP) allows you to charge extra batteries while you fly, enabling back-to-back missions. This system also includes 1-day of training at Vision Aerial’s Flight Center in Bozeman, Montana and a Second Year Warranty.

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    Key Features

    • Less than 2-minute setup and breakdown
    • Folds for easy transport in a weatherproof Pelican case
    • Rugged construction to stand up to the elements
    • Handles wind gusts up to 40 kph (25 mph)
    • 16 km (10 mi) flight range
    • Indefinite Flight Package provides enough charging capacity and flight batteries to fly back-to-back missions
    • Thermal and RGB camera for visual comparison
    • RGB camera comes with Full HD (1920 x 1080 px) resolution
    • Thermal camera can measure up to 1,500º C (2,732º F)
    • 10x optical zoom
    • Picture-merge feature allows you to merge a thermal image with an RGB camera image in real-time, even with 10x optical zoom
    • Internal SSD disc with 256 GB memory for recording

    What's Included

    • SwitchBlade-Elite
    • SwitchBlade-Elite Indefinite Flight Package (IFP)
    • Workswell WIRIS Pro
    • SwitchBlade-Elite Second-Year Warranty
    • Training at Vision Aerial

    Full Specifications

    • SwitchBlade-Elite tricopter drone (Learn more)
    • Indefinite Flight Package
    • WIRIS Pro Body (640×512 px, 256 GB SSD, 30 Hz) with 13 mm (45° FOV) Lens (View Data Sheet)
    • Payload mounting: Gremsy Pixy-WP gimbal (View Data Sheet)

    Industry Information

    Successful Drone Search and Rescue Missions

    Successful Drone Search and Rescue Missions

    Drones for search and rescue have become increasingly popular due to their ability to cover large areas quickly, access hard-to-reach locations, and provide real-time information to rescue teams. Here are some real-world examples of successful drone search and rescue missions that resulted in saved lives.

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