Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) are rapidly becoming ubiquitous, finding utility in military, commercial, and public sector applications.  The rapid expansion of UAS is building on the existing infrastructure of aviation, air vehicle design, and an ever-expanding range of applications.  UASs allow low cost and limited risk solutions for providing a variety of data sources supporting military, first responder, and a variety of commercial functions while enabling operations without risk of human life.  The maturation of UASs have necessitated a significant transition of the national air traffic control system, air traffic control training, pilot training, air space operations, sensor packages, data collection methods, and data processing centers.  For all these reasons, the creation and availability of quality UAS related courses and training is vital for the continued growth and safety of UAS operations in the United States.

In this survey course, first responder leaders are provided an overview of UAS technologies, capabilities, regulations, legal responsibilities, cost and benefit considerations for potential use in law enforcement, fire, rescue, emergency medical and disaster response applications.  Participants will explore ways to integrate their areas of interest with UAS capabilities through use case scenarios and Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threat (SWOT) exercises.   

Goals and Objectives

• At the end of this course you will be able to:
  
  

  ‒Identify the different categories of UAS, their capabilities and uses in first response

  ‒Describe the differences between UAS and manned aerial assets and pros and cons of each

  ‒Describe in general terms the agencies, rules, regulations and policies that govern the use of UAS in the National Airspace System, public perception of UAS and future plans

  ‒Describe considerations to be made in deciding to use UAS, return on investment (ROI) and when and how to use UAS most effectively

  ‒Perform a SWOT analysis to determine if/when/where/how/ what UAS to use in a specific first response situation
  
  

  Note 1: This course will be held online with rolling enrollment.

  
  Note 2: This course will run five weeks from the start date as scheduled with Sinclair once enrollment is complete.