To: Board of Supervisors
From: Lewis Broschard, Chief, Contra Costa County Fire Protection District
Report Title: DroneSense Inc.
?Recommendation of the County Administrator ? Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Acting as the governing Board of the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District, APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Fire Chief, or designee, to execute an agreement with DroneSense, Inc., in an amount not to exceed $20,000, effective March 11, 2024, for a time period of twelve (12) months, to manage all maintenance records for Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), including the batteries, remote controls, propellers, and camera and software updates; and provide video streaming services to Fire District staff during emergency incidents to provide Incident Command with time-sensitive situational awareness and an aerial perspective to assist with strategy and tactics.
FISCAL IMPACT:
100% CCCFPD Operating Fund
BACKGROUND:
Contra Costa County Fire Protection District has been operating Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) or drones since 2019. In the beginning CCCFPD only operated two drones throughout the district with several pilots. The UAS program has grown to over 20 pilots operating 8 drones throughout the district. The primary pilots are with the Fire Investigation Unit or on the Hazmat Team. Since the team has grown substantially with the number of pilots and UAS platforms that are utilized, it is necessary to use a UAS software platform that tracks maintenance, pilot logs and flight records. The proposed software will also allow the UAS pilot to live stream the drone video to the incident commander or other chief officers at locations outside the incident command post.
This agreement includes a provision for mutual indemnification between DroneSense, Inc. Services and the County.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If not approved, CCCFPD will not be able to ensure the necessary maintenance procedures and documentation are occurring on all of the...
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