What we do
EMHS has been working with UAS in emergency management and public safety since 2012 - an long time in the UAS world - and has gained invaluable experience in a variety of projects and disasters. We have utilized drones as part of mitigation projects, performed wide area searches for missing people, supported law enforcement and fire, trained responders, and flown response to a variety of disasters. We are concisdered a leading authority on UAS in public safety and disasters, and enjoy partnerships with the State of Florida, Texas A&M Univeristy, and the Center for Robot-Assisted Search and Rescue (CRASAR).
EMHS offers academic courses and a certificate program, professional training, and operational support to government agencies nationwide.
The EMHS team is part of the State of Florida's State Emergency Response Team (SERT), serving in the Air Operations Branch since 2015 working to integrate local, state and Federal unmanned systems into the coordinated response. The EMHS UAS Team is part of the Florida Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) system and has been deployed to hurricanes Matthew, Irma, Michael, Dorian, Sally, Ian, and Idalia in that capacity.
Some of our activities:
- Hurricane Idalia - Florida ESF-4/9 US&R Remote Sensing (2023)
- Hurricane Ian - Florida ESF-4/9 US&R Remote Sensing (2022)
- Surfside Condominium Collapse - Florida ESF-4/9 US&R Remote Sensing (2021)
- Hurricane Sally - Florida SERT Reconnaisance (2020)
- Disaster Imaging Public-Private Partnerships (2020-)
- Hurricane Dorian - Florida US&R Rapid Needs Assessment (RNA) Team (2019)
- UAS Resource Typing Project (2019)
- Hurricane Michael - Bay County Reconnaisance and US&R Support (2018)
- Florida UAS Working Group - Founder and Chair (2018-)
- Lower Puna Eruption - Hawaii County/Hilo Fire Mapping and Support (2018)
- Hurricane Irma - Florida US&R Task Force 8 (2017)
- Hurricane Harvey - Fort Bend County Air Operations (2017)
Academic Certificates and Professional Training
EMHS offers academic classes as well as an undergraduate and graduate certificate program. Infomation on the certificate program is available on our Certificates page.
For professional UAS operators, EMHS offers training on demand, spanning from one day basic operations to a five day UAS Response Technician course. For information, contact training@em.fsu.edu.
Resource Typing and Qualifications
Since the adoption of the National Incident Management System, or NIMS, resource typing has been a major component of emergency managment and mutual aid. By standardizing how we define resources (including teams, equipment, vehicles, personnel, etc.) emergency managers nationwide can make better decisions regarding what assistance is needed, and more importantly, what they capabilities of that resource will be when it arrives. No one wants to waste time determining exactly what that team from three states away can actually do when they arrive at staging. To support this standardization, resources are typed based on their capabilities - what can they accomplish while working on an incident. FEMA has a good explantaion on resource typing and mutual aid.
UAS are a new resource in public safety and emergency management. As such, there is limited typing information available for teams and personnel. FEMA published one in 2018, and while this is a good start, decision makers in Florida felt it was too broad to be fully effective. CDRP, in conjunction with some members of the Florida UAS Working Group, has been working on typing for Florida UAS teams, including personnel qualifications, certification resources, and associated training.
These documents are currently moving through the review process for adoption in Florida. The Task Book is an adaptation of the National Wildfire Coordination Group's fantastic work, modifed slightly to apply to all hazards.
Team Typing Documents
As of 4 October 2019, all documents here are in DRAFT status.
All Hazards UAS Team - Resource Definition
Typing document for a All Hazards focused UAS team, includnig four (4) types.
Small UAS Pilot [SUASP]- Resource Definition
Typing document for a Small UAS Pilot [SUASP] - Single type. This can be deployed as part of a team or as a Single Resource.
Small UAS Team Leader [SUASTL]- Resource Definition
Typing document for a Small UAS Team Leader [SUASTL] - Single type. This can be deployed as part of a team or as a Single Resource.
Small UAS Data Technician [SUASDT]- Resource Definition
Typing document for a Small UAS Data Technician [SUASDT] - Single type. This can be deployed as part of a team or as a Single Resource.
Position Definitions and Position Task Book
As of 4 October 2019, all documents here are in DRAFT status.
UAS Position Descriptions
Overview document for all three (3) UAS positions: Small UAS Pilot [SUASP], Small UAS Team Leader [SUASTL], and Small UAS Data Techician [SUASDT]
UAS Position Task Book (PTB)
Position Task Book that applies to all three (3) UAS positions: Small UAS Pilot [SUASP], Small UAS Team Leader [SUASTL], and Small UAS Data Techician [SUASDT]. This Task Book can be used to support crew training and development.
Aircraft Qualification Documents
As of 7 November 2019, all documents here are in DRAFT status.
Aircraft Qualification Checklist - DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise Dual [updated: 7 NOV 19]
This checklist/task list can be utilized to certify and operator on the DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise Dual aircraft and associated systems.
Aircraft Qualification Checklist - DJI Matrice 210[updated: 7 NOV 19]
This checklist/task list can be utilized to certify and operator on the DJI Matrice 210 v1 aircraft and associated systems.
Aircraft Qualification Checklist - Parrot Anafi[updated: 7 NOV 19]
This checklist/task list can be utilized to certify and operator on the Parrot Anafi Thermal aircarft and associated systems.
Aircraft Qualification Checklist - Parrot Disco[updated: 7 NOV 19]
This checklist/task list can be utilized to certify and operator on the Parrot Disco aircarft and associated systems.
Aircraft Qualification Checklist - DJI Mavic Pro[updated: 7 NOV 19]
This checklist/task list can be utilized to certify and operator on the DJI Mavic Pro aircarft and associated systems.