Orlando tech firm ArcherFRS uses drones to assist in 911 rescues

Picture this: You make an emergency 911 call because a colleague at your office has collapsed. The emergency dispatcher notes that the symptoms point to a likely heart attack. About two minutes later, a drone delivers an automated external defibrillator to your office. 

The defibrillator has a video screen to show how to remove the pads and apply them to an injured person — and instructions are delivered in English or Spanish.

If you’re in Manatee County, this scenario is a real possibility thanks to a new first-of-its kind collaboration between Orlando-based Archer First Response Systems (typically called ArcherFRS), Tampa General Hospital and Manatee County. Under the current contract, Manatee County pays $1.00 per month for the lease and maintenance/operating service, said Bill Logan, public information officer for Manatee County.

The three entities banded together to offer this lifesaving 911-integrated drone delivery system that carries payloads of Narcan nasal spray, defibrillators and tourniquets, depending on the need. The program launched May 1, said a Tampa General Hospital news release. 

ArcherFRS founder and CEO Gordon Folkes sees a need for a paradigm shift when it comes to treatment and response to time-critical emergencies like sudden cardiac arrest, opioid overdose and trauma. “Unmanned aircraft provide a unique utility in their ability to fly quickly and directly to the scene of an emergency and pose exceptional promise to decrease response times, save lives and improve outcomes."

Manatee County did not respond by the time of publication to a records request for the number of heart attacks, trauma incidents and opioid overdoses Manatee County has each week, month or year.

The system hasn't deployed any drones yet in response to calls, though given the coverage area, Folkes expects about 25 deployments per year. He said emergency dispatchers have deployed drones during training.

Tampa General Hospital President and CEO John Couris said given the ability to measure the impact of the program on the community, "we can determine how the technology can be used in more scalable, reproducible ways for the broader benefit of our state.”

Folkes founded Archer First Response Systems as a sophomore at Florida State University in 2014. He told Orlando Inno he moved the company to Orlando in 2017, got its first pre-seed funding round in 2018 and spent a few years navigating Federal Aviation Administration regulations, finally bringing the product online for use by emergency agencies this year. To date, he has raised about $1.25 million.

"We now are looking to move to a more permanent location, but we’re not entirely sure where it will be just yet. We are looking at Tampa, Bradenton, Sarasota, Lakeland and Orlando,” he said. 

ArcherFRS doesn't manufacture its own drones. The company's system incorporates Freefly Systems AltaX unmanned drones made in Woodinville, Washington, and an on-board computer and LTE cell modem, along with other gear.

The ground control hubs are manufactured in Orlando, and the payloads in Melbourne, said Folkes. The drones deploy from Manatee County Emergency Medical Services Lakewood Ranch Station and cover a 3.5-square-mile area from Mondays-Fridays during daylight hours. Ultimately, the coverage area will expand to 35 square miles, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 

Archer First Response Systems

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