New Mexico State University is home to a new drone program that hopes to help first responders nationwide by training operators and teaching agencies how to start drone programs to aid emergency responses.

The program at the NMSU Physics science lab UAS Test Site, located at the Las Cruces Airport, is one of seven Federal Aviation Administration-approved UAS, or unmanned aircraft systems, test sites in the country.

“After hurricanes like Harvey and Helene, public safety agencies and insurance had so much data that people recorded with their drones, manufacturers, and public safety agencies saw the advantages of using the technology to assess damage after a natural disaster.” said NMSU Safety Specialist Jerry Fleming.

Fleming, certified in drone safety, spent five years with the USDA Forest Service, where he first got involved in safety operations before working with NMSU.

FEMA and AssuredSafe fund the first responders’ UAS training, a two-day in-person training. The program is split into two sections and has up to two levels for first responders to enroll in. Day one is an introduction to UAS Flight Operations, and day two is an Introduction to UAS Data Analytics.

Over 50 first responders from law enforcement, fire departments, and county organizations in New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas have participated in the courses.

“Our goal is to get all levels of the hierarchy in a public safety agency to take at least level one, even just on the first day. It would be great if they did all of them, but level two is more for your pilots and analysis people, and level one is the people responsible for getting the right government certifications and the equipment to start a program.” Said First Responder Instructor Jaime Ponce de Leon.

Ponce de Leon is a UAS pilot who spent some time with Santa Fe Fire and Rescue and two years with the Department of Interior as a wildfire specialist.

Ponce de Leon and a fellow instructor, retired Las Cruces Police Department Lt. Rudy Saenz, think UAS use should become more of standard for emergency response. Saenz recalls a time when he was an active LCPD officer. The department responded to a call about an older man who was suffering from dementia and had walked away from his assisted care living facility, who died within city limits in temperatures over 100 degrees.

“If the department had the training we have now, I think that man may have survived,” said Saenz.

According to DJI, the leading manufacturer of UASs, drones have been used in over 1,000 successful rescues. In 2017, Mesilla Valley Search and Rescue used a UAS to locate a missing person, and in 2023, aided in an effort that used a UAS to rescue four hikers in the Organ Mountains.

Fleming, Ponce de Leon, and Saenz all argue the same reasoning for why public safety agencies should adopt and develop drone programs. Modern-day drones are made more convenient and versatile. They are also cheaper to buy and use than helicopters, and they can respond to emergencies faster since less coordination is needed with other aircraft in the designated airspace. They can also apply for waivers from the FAA to use their systems in large airspace.

“The hard part is done. This government approved, it is funded, we have a way for agencies to get certified and trained, and we can take the test site on the road to train people wherever they want us. We just need people to come and see what they can do with these systems. This is in terms of other equipment, cheaper to get, and versatile if you take the time to learn and train.”

“What you can do with the data is kind of amazing,” said Wes Foote, a course participant and Taos Search and Rescue member.

The program is just for learning UAS operations and how to set up a program. Still, first responders interested in piloting a UAS can be Part 107 certified online through NMSU or the FAA website.

Since the test site is FAA-approved, first responders who take the training will still be able to pilot a UAS under the supervision of certified pilots to understand how a drone works and how they would use it in a search-and-rescue situation.

Sessions for this year have already begun. The Santa Fe Police Department is hosting the test site instructors to teach for four days after a successful save from their country’s fire and emergency management teams, who have taken the operations course.

First responders can check catalogs sent out by federal and state agencies that offer educational services, such as UAS operations training. However, Ponce de Leon says they’ve had more success with personal outreach and word of mouth to get people signed up than official government outlets.