Austin Community College Offers Drone Training For Public Safety Officials

Emergency responders will receive classroom training two days each month and then return to work with the drone for about forty hours.

Austin Community College (ACC) officials are now offering a three-month course offering drone training for public safety officials at its Public Safety Training Center in Hays County.

The goal is to improve training and the abilities of drone operators increasingly used by police, fire and emergency management personnel to respond to emergency situations, according to Dale Toler, director of the training center.

ACC officials are partnering with a private company to offer the 100-hour course that takes three months to complete. 

Emergency responders will receive classroom training two days each month and then return to work with the drone for about forty hours.

Public safety drone operators currently have no proficiency testing and the training is designed to produce a proficiency level for those operating air, ground and maritime robotics, according to Toler.

The training should provide better response to emergencies as it provides the same operation standards across jurisdictions such as cities, police departments, counties or emergency management staff.

With a goal of attracting public safety drone operators throughout the state, the center is scheduled to host nine classes in 2019 and nearly double the classes in 2020 as enrollment grows.

This article was originally published by Strategic Partnerships Inc.