The Airborne International Response Team (AIRT) a non-profit supporting Drones For Good and AAM For Good, and home to the DRONERESPONDERS programme for public safety agencies and emergency response organisations, has announced a new US-wide public safety uncrewed aerial system (UAS) training programme.
The training programme has been launched in response to findings from AIRT’s 2025 Government and Public Safety Sector Survey that captured insights from nearly 900 respondents and highlighted a critical need for enhanced training and leadership development among agencies operating UAS in the public interest.
91% of respondents reported that their remote pilots serve in collateral roles, meaning drone operations are a secondary responsibility to their primary duties. One of the most pressing issues identified in the survey was the lack of training infrastructure and succession planning. Only 26% of agencies expressed strong satisfaction with their internal capacity to train remote pilots, with just 18% being “very satisfied” with their access to qualified external training providers. The survey also found that only 31% of agencies have implemented a formal plan to manage remote pilot attrition.
More than 76% of respondents stated that their agency would benefit from additional training focused specifically on UAS programme administration and management. To address this, DRONERESPONDERS is launching the UAS National Initiative for Training and Education (UNITE). UNITE is designed to build leadership capacity and institutional resilience within public safety drone operations. The programme aims to equip UAS programme managers with the knowledge, tools and strategies needed to ensure the continuity, compliance and community impact of drone missions in the evolving landscape of public safety.
UNITE will offer three learning options:
Online: Starting with the UAS Leadership Series, a three-part programme designed for current and aspiring public safety UAS programme managers.
Regional Events and Workshops: Designed to increase practical skills at multi-agency training days, hosted throughout the United States.
Custom Training: Enhanced UAS training modules and curriculum to address unique challenges and specialised needs of operators and programme managers.
AIRT has selected Jason Day, to serve as the DRONERESPONDERS Deputy Director, Training to spearhead UNITE. Day built and managed the public safety UAS programme in the US for the Texas Department of Public Safety to help other public safety agencies create drone programmes in the National Airspace System.
DRONERESPONDERS will host a live webinar on Thursday, August 7 at 2:00 pm Eastern Time to present further details of the 2025 Government and Public Safety UAS Sector Survey and the UNITE project.
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