MONTICELLO – Members of the Catskills Hatzalah EMS teamed with the New York State Police to enhance their drone/Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) skills. The Hatzalah in the Catskills provides ambulance service in the Catskills and is expanding its services to include using drones for rescue missions.
The New York State Police Drone unit assisted the Hatzalah who are starting a drone unit for search and rescue purposes. After learning that Hatzalah was starting a drone program the State Police invited them to a joint training exercise so the UAS pilots from the State Police could meet the Hatzalah UAS pilots.
The Hatzalah purchased their drones and are receiving flight training from Hudson Valley Drones and enhanced skills from pilots from the State Police.
The new Hatzalah pilots learned of suggestions for deconfliction of airspace, communication requirements, and State Police policies and procedures when working with manned aviation (helicopters) at emergency scenes.
Both agencies require their pilots to be Part 107 licensed by the FAA.
The State Police UAS Units in each Troop often work with drone units from police agencies, fire departments, and other first responder entities at various emergency incidents and encourage this type of joint training exercise.
The Hatzalah in the Catskills operates 13 ambulances with a staff of approximately 350 volunteers who answer more than 2,000 calls per year. The organization receives no outside financial support from any other Hatzalah branch or government agency and relies on donations to remain in operation.
