Utilizing Skydio Drones in Firefighting and Search and Rescue Scenarios

Cole joined Skydio in February 2021 as a representative on the public safety sales team, where he worked directly with Skydio customers and prospects to best understand their needs in the field. In 2022, he made the transition to the Product Marketing team, taking that knowledge of the customer base into a cross functional role. He now manages content and communications for Skydio’s public safety marketing efforts, including working directly with public safety agencies to help tell their stories to a broader audience.

William "Fritz" Reber retired as a Police Captain after 27 years of service with Chula Vista Police Department. After his retirement he worked with public safety and service providers related to UAS operations. He (with Kabe Termes) was the visionary behind Drone as First Responder (DFR) Operations and Live911, author of CVPD's Concept of Operations IPP submission, and co-authored the CVPD BVLOS waiver. This was the first FAA Beyond Visual Line of Sight waiver for any public safety agency operating in an urban environment in the nation). He and his Skydio Team, in partnership with CVPD and the San Diego IPP Team wrote the safety case for and obtained the groundbreaking Tactical BVLOS waiver. This enabled Close Proximity, Low Altitude (CPLA) operations for Public Safety Agencies and others to safely fly BVLOS during ground based tactical deployments.

Fritz remains a part of the San Diego City IPP Team, is a DRONERESPONDERS Technical Expert (TEP), and he continues to work closely with CVPD and public safety agencies everywhere on the integration of Skydio 2 into everyday police operations. He is the visionary and co-inventor w/Higherground, of Live911.

Live911 is a revolutionary software tool that allows first responders to hear in real time the actual audio of the incoming 911 call. It has been integrated with RapidSOs and provides a map UI for first responders who can hear the call and see the exact caller location instantly while in the field. Never before has public safety had such real-time situational awareness sent to the front lines without any time delay or data decay.

Head of Public Safety Integration at Skydio:

Fritz works to show Public Safety Agencies the value of a drone that is designed not to crash. The transformational object avoidance technology of Skydio means that more people can utilize the power of a UAS to provide situational awareness and decision quality data to first responders in the field. The feedback and input he gets from end-users is used in product improvements and development with the goal to help make Skydio the best drone company in the world.

Born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, Captain Brian Geranen joined the Phoenix Fire Department in 2005. He is currently assigned to the Phoenix Fire Department’s UAS Program as the Program Coordinator where he serves as lead pilot and manages the training, response, and daily communications associated with the program. Captain Geranen is a Certified Emergency Paramedic, an FAA 107 UAS Pilot, and holds an Associates Degree in Fire Science from Phoenix College, and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Homeland Security and Emergency Management from Grand Canyon University.