Who is it for?
- municipalities and local government offices,
- crisis management and civil protection staff,
- volunteer fire brigades,
- municipal units,
- schools, village leaders, seniors and residents,
- local response teams and volunteers.
Readiness package for municipalities
EchoDron SAR
Search support and thermal reconnaissance for municipalities, volunteer fire brigades and local communities.
EchoDron SAR is an annual crisis-readiness support package for municipalities and volunteer fire brigades. It combines access to UAV and thermal imaging capabilities with resident education, firefighter training, tabletop exercises, selected-site documentation and first-response modules.
The municipality does not need to purchase its own drone, train an operator or build technical infrastructure from scratch. The Foundation organizes access to UAV/thermal imaging resources, an operator, exercises, training and educational materials.
What does EchoDron SAR include?
UAV and thermal imaging
Access to UAV/thermal imaging resources with an operator, a demonstration of drone capabilities, documentation of a selected site or area, support for fire brigade exercises and auxiliary reconnaissance in compliance with applicable regulations.
Search support
The program may support search-related activities through thermal reconnaissance, terrain documentation, transfer of observations to competent services and cooperation with volunteer fire brigades or a person designated by the incident commander. The Foundation does not replace the Police, Fire Service, Emergency Medical Services or other competent authorities.
First 10 Minutes
A practical first-response module: emergency number, rescuer safety, AED, situation assessment, massive bleeding control and organizing help until emergency services arrive.
Blackout 72
Resident education for the first 72 hours of a crisis: water, light, communication, regular medication, seniors, isolated people, municipal messages, help points and panic reduction.
MediDrop 72 h
MediDrop 72 h remains as an internal module: Contact 72, Signal 72, MediDrop Box, OK / HELP / MEDICATION cards, vulnerable people, regular medication and simple crisis communication with residents.
Why a package instead of buying a drone?
Buying a thermal drone does not create operational capability on its own. A municipality still needs an operator, training, procedures, insurance, maintenance, batteries, data protection rules, usage procedures and a realistic deployment plan.
EchoDron SAR allows the municipality to use UAV and thermal imaging functions without purchasing its own drone. The municipality buys a support package: resources, operator, training, exercises, documentation and resident education.
Annual packages
EchoDron Start
A basic municipal pilot: UAV/thermal imaging demonstration, one fire brigade training session, Blackout 72 module, First 10 Minutes module and resident information materials.
EchoDron Pilot
An extended annual package: UAV/thermal imaging demonstration, fire brigade training, tabletop exercise, documentation of a selected site or area, MediDrop 72 h, Blackout 72, First 10 Minutes and a municipal report.
EchoDron Readiness
A broader annual package with more educational, exercise and documentation activities, wider fire brigade support and optional UAV support upon request, subject to operator availability, weather, aviation regulations and safety rules.
Support upon request
Support upon request is additional and depends on the availability of the operator and UAV resources, aviation regulations, weather, airspace availability, technical condition of the equipment, personal safety and incident priority.
The package does not guarantee the Foundation’s participation in every reported incident and does not guarantee simultaneous support for several incidents in different partner municipalities.
During ongoing rescue operations, the Foundation performs activities only after coordination with the incident commander, a person designated by the commander or the relevant representative of the municipality or volunteer fire brigade.
Safety rules
The program does not replace fire services, volunteer fire brigades, police, emergency medical services, pharmacies, healthcare providers or statutory public administration duties. It is supporting, educational, exercise-based, reconnaissance-oriented and documentation-oriented.
UAV flights are carried out only in accordance with aviation regulations, operator qualifications, airspace conditions, weather conditions, safety assessment and privacy/data protection rules.
Funding
The package may be financed from municipal funds, civil protection funds, grants, donations, sponsorship or mixed financing. It may be implemented as a local pilot, grant-funded project or annual municipal support package.