DRONERESPONDERS Celebrates National Drone Safety Day, Recognizes Work by FAA to Assist America’s First Responders

Coalition requests regulator to implement a scalable, National Public Safety Drone Waiver for emergency UAS operations.

In celebration of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Drone Safety Day happening Saturday, April 25, 2026, DRONERESPONDERS -- the world’s leading non‑profit program advancing public safety UAS, cUAS and Advanced Air Mobility – is recognizing the work the FAA has undertaken to help America’s First Responders successfully develop UAS programs for life-safety missions.

“The FAA has been an amazing partner for DRONERESPONDERS and public safety agencies seeking to establish and expand their UAS programs over the past decade, said Chief Charles Werner, (Ret)., Director of DRONERESPONDERS.  “Without their help, many of these programs would not be operational and the capabilities of drone technology would not be successfully impacting emergency operations on the scale that we see now.”

Werner says that tremendous progress has been made, and now is the time for public safety agencies to work with the FAA to evolve current regulatory authorities surrounding their drone operations.  He says the FAA should establish a National Public Safety Waiver (NPSW), a standardized, nationwide airspace authorization designed to accelerate the use of drones by first responders when lives and property are at risk.

Supported by DRONERESPONDERS, the NPSW initiative seeks to modernize regulatory processes that currently require public safety agencies to navigate case‑by‑case FAA approvals that can be slow and may not scale to meet the needs of an operation.

“For more than a decade, public safety agencies have proven the value of drones in saving lives, reducing crime, and improving situational awareness,” said Werner.  “However, even the most experienced agencies can face administrative delays and operational limitations surrounding time‑critical missions. The National Public Safety Waiver offers a practical, safety‑driven solution that will allow first responders to deploy drones more quickly and effectively during emergencies.”

Programs such as Drone as First Responder (DFR) have already transformed emergency response by providing real‑time aerial intelligence to dispatchers and commanders. However, the current regulatory framework requires individual waivers and approvals that cannot be efficiently replicated across the more than 50,000 public safety agencies nationwide, limiting widespread, consistent adoption.

A Scalable, Performance‑Based Framework

The proposed National Public Safety Waiver would establish a standing, nationwide authorization enabling qualified public safety agencies to conduct standardized Beyond Visual Line‑of‑Sight (BVLOS) operations, operate over people, and access appropriate airspace under a unified, performance‑based safety model.

Key elements of the proposed NPSW include:

• A single national FAA waiver

• Performance‑based safety standards

• Predictable airspace access

• Standing authority for BVLOS and multi‑UAS missions

• A standardized Detect‑and‑Avoid (DAA) acceptance pathway

• Transparent oversight and accountability

Public safety leaders emphasize that the effort is not an expansion of commercial drone privileges, but a targeted framework for trained, accountable first responders operating under clearly defined safety standards.

Broad Support from Public Safety and Industry

A growing coalition of public safety agencies, associations, and technology partners has formally pledged support for the NPSW initiative, recognizing the need for a regulatory structure that matches real‑world public safety operations.

Supporting agencies and public safety organizations include:

• Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office

• San Jose Police Department

• Tempe Police Department

• Santa Clara Police Department

• Palo Alto Police Department

• Mountain View Police Department

• Los Altos Police Department

• Santa Clara County Fire Department

• Miami‑Dade Sheriff’s Office

• San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office

• Northern Regional Tactical Communications Cooperative Alliance (NRTCCA)

• City of Phoenix

• Delaware EMS

• Cochise County

• Washington County

• Law Enforcement Drone Association (LEDA – Tennessee)

“These organizations represent law enforcement, fire service, EMS, emergency management, and public safety technology leaders who understand that scalable drone integration is essential,” Werner added.

Advancing Airspace Safety and Responsible Integration

The National Public Safety Waiver aligns with the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, reinforces the FAA’s long‑standing commitment to airspace safety, and directly supports the mission of FAA Drone Safety Day, which emphasizes education, accountability, and responsible UAS operations. The NPSW advances national goals by enabling trained public safety professionals to operate within a standardized, performance‑based safety framework that prioritizes predictable airspace access, risk mitigation, coordination with crewed aviation, and transparent oversight.

By replacing fragmented, case‑by‑case approvals with a unified national authorization, the NPSW would strengthen safety outcomes while advancing national priorities by:

• Improving emergency response times

• Reducing crime

• Strengthening wildfire and disaster mitigation

• Enhancing national security readiness

• Maintaining U.S. leadership in unmanned systems innovation

Public safety leaders stress that the NPSW complements—not conflicts with—the FAA’s safety mission by ensuring first responders operate under clear, consistent rules that emphasize training, accountability, and coordination. Agencies are urging federal policymakers to move swiftly, noting that a nationwide waiver would eliminate redundant administrative barriers and deliver a modern regulatory framework that reflects both the safety culture promoted by FAA Drone Safety Day and the operational realities faced by today’s first responders.