The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has released its first unmanned robotics guidance for first responders and others. NFPA 2400, Standard for Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) Used for Public Safety Operations, was developed by representatives from fire, law enforcement, and emergency medical services departments.

NFPA 2400 aims to provide guidance for public agencies adopting drones based on the type of application, breaking down important terms and identifying potential risks that may come up during deployment. 

“NFPA 2400 provides an ANSI-accredited roadmap for public safety entities to create a drone program that is based on the most current industry knowledge,” said Michael Wixted, staff liaison to NFPA 2400. “The standard is designed to help public safety officials define criteria, understand program elements, train staff accordingly, and plan for various scenarios long before a drone program launches or any technology takes flight.”

The standard is available on NFPA’s website.