VIDEO: Drone company Flirtey has received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to conduct drone delivery flights beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS), allowing for drones to deliver defibrillators to heart attack victims so treatment can begin before paramedics arrive.
The new approval enables Flirtey to conduct drone delivery operations with a pilot controlling the flights from a remote location.
Beginning in 2020, when 911 is called about a heart attack victim, a dispatcher will send an ambulance while talking through how to use a defibrillator delivered by a drone faster than paramedics can get there.The program will serve the Reno-Sparks-Carson City area.
“The City of Reno is proud to partner with Flirtey, the FAA, and our local IPP partners to enable drone delivery of AEDs to Washoe County residents,” says Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve. “Public safety is our top priority, and the use of drones to provide life-saving AED technology to cardiac patients will save lives across our community.”