Emergency response drone service expands in Manatee County

911 drone service expands in Manatee County

Beginning Monday, residents in Manatee County who call 911 may get life-saving tool delivered to them via drone. FOX 13?s Kellie Cowan reports.

BRADENTON, Fla. - Manatee County is expanding the service hours and coverage area of its 911 integrated drone delivery system.

The backstory:

The first-of-its-kind program, which launched last year, uses drones to deliver life-saving aid to patients experiencing certain medical emergencies while they wait for an ambulance to arrive.

The coverage area for the emergency drone program is expanding more than 10-fold, from a 3.5 to a 35 square mile area. Service will also expand to seven days a week, from 6 a.m. To 10 p.m.

If someone in the service area calls 911 for cardiac arrest or opioid overdose, a drone automatically delivers an automated external defibrillator (A-E-D) for heart attacks or NARCAN Nasal Spray for overdoses.

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Equipment arrives in under three minutes on average, and the dispatcher guides the caller through using the equipment until first responders arrive.

The program is a partnership between Manatee County, ArcherFRS, and Tampa General Hospital.

What they're saying:

The drones, which don't have to contend with traffic and can cover large distances a lot faster than an ambulance, can help to dramatically cut down response time.

"Every minute counts when a life is on the line, and with the use of innovative technologies, we’re working to provide lifesaving care to our residents as quickly as possible," said George Kruse, chair of the Manatee County Board of County Commissioners.

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By the numbers:

Each year, 350,000 people in the United States experience a cardiac arrest outside the hospital and only 10-percent survive. Last year, more than 112,000 Americans died from opioid-related exposure.

What's next:

TGH, ArcherFRS and Manatee County will evaluate the performance and effectiveness of the program during the months ahead to determine how the technology can be utilized to serve more residents across the state.

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