Northern Virginia study explores rapid deployment of drones in emergencies

Shima Mohebbi, Assistant Professor, Systems Engineering and Operations Research (SEOR), College of Engineering and Computing (CEC), and Michael Hieb, Research Associate Professor, C5I Center, CEC, received funding for: "Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS) Drone as a First Responder Feasibility Study project." 

Across the U.S., there is a trend to use small drones to assist Police and Fire Fighters in their work. As part of this increasing drone usage by state and local public safety agencies, DFR programs are being deployed to quickly respond to events and stream video to first responders. The concept is for drone pilots to launch drones as soon as possible after a 911 call comes in. The 911 call is screened to determine if it will benefit from DFR. Once on the scene, the drone will stream video to those responding to criminal events, fires, traffic incidents, missing persons, and other events of interest.

Some of the major benefits claimed by DFR programs are:

• Rapid deployment: Drones are quickly dispatched to incident locations, reaching many areas faster than emergency vehicles on the street and officers on foot. 
• Enhanced situational awareness: Live video provides early awareness of potential threats to law enforcement personnel. Comprehensive aerial views also allow first responders to assess crime scenes, and strategize how to best manage vehicle and pedestrian traffic situations. 
• Improved first responder safety: By identifying potential hazards before officers arrive on scenes, safety is exponentially increased for first responders and the public. 
• New search-and-rescue capabilities: Drones equipped with night-vision and thermal-imaging cameras can greatly assist in locating missing people or criminal suspects, especially across challenging terrain or in low-light conditions. 
• Transparency: Footage from drones can provide clear, objective evidence of actions taken during incidents and events. 
• Cost-effectiveness: Drones are significantly less expensive to operate than other resources, which can be prioritized for other emergency responses. 

These benefits have led to the growth of DFR programs but there is a lack of documented analysis to enable an objective view of the costs and benefits.

This study will conduct rigorous technical and cost analysis in sufficient detail to support recommendations for establishment of a DFR in Northern Virginia. The study area is Fairfax County, Loudoun County, Prince William County, Arlington and Alexandria. 

The study will document Best Practices and Obstacles for DFR Programs as well as developing a Regional Concept of Operations. The study will use a soft digital twin, combining data analytics, simulation and optimization methods, to identify optimal deployment locations to maximize coverage and minimize response time to inform a phased deployment plan as well as documenting the specific costs and benefits for the study area.

Mohebbi and Hieb received $199,910 from the Northern Virginia Emergency Response System (NVERS) as part of a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Grant Programs Directorate (FEMA/GPD) within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for this research. Funding began in July 2025 and will end in late May 2026.