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7 ways drone technology will affect the future of EMS, police and fire

Drones, autonomous vehicles and algorithms will change how EMS is delivered and conflicts are resolved

AmbulanceDrone.jpg

Prototype of an AED Drone.

YouTube screenshot

It‘s a common belief in health care, law enforcement and fire services that the human factor will never be replaced by automation or robotics. That may be true to a certain extent, but there will be major changes in the future, many of them including the use of drones:

1. Say goodbye to your lights and siren.

As autonomous vehicles take over the road and force people out of the driver‘s seat, there won‘t be a need for emergency lights and sirens. All vehicles will either be avoided or electronically warned to relinquish the right of way.

2. No more missed meals.

For EMTs and paramedics, the days of skipping meals and screaming obscenities at idiot drivers will be a thing of the past. The Uberlance crew of the future can stuff their face while responding and still have time to complain about how little time they have to eat.

3. Dramatically reduced response times.

The automated Uberlance will cut response times in half. In addition, thousands of first responder drones will be perched on top of street lights throughout the city waiting for the signal to swoop down and save a life. And let’s not forget the Amazon Aerial AED (automatic external defibrillator) a miniaturized AED-on-a-drone that will land right on the patient‘s chest, defibrillate him, order him an eBook about post-cardiac nutrition off Amazon and send all the data to the Uberlance and base hospital.

4. Sayonara to speeding tickets.

Speeding tickets will go the way of pay phone booths. Surely police agencies will feel the pinch from loss of revenue, but the hardest hit by far will be the individual police officer. Without dozens of people per day telling them boldface lies straight to their face, officers will experience an overwhelming sense of loss, confusion and self-doubt.

5. DWI arrests will stop faster than a drunk falling off a barstool.

Even though autonomous vehicles will still have manual controls, it will be virtually impossible for an intoxicated person to take control of the car. Anyone who tampers with the controls will get repelled with a shot of bear spray.

6. Why can’t we all just get along? Now with Google, we can.

Human-to-human disputes will be handled by Google‘s Domestic Dispute Resolution Drone. It will listen briefly to each side and then mathematically calculate the probability of truth and fault based on proprietary algorithms that Google is constantly changing and then immediately shock one or both of the drunk and disorderly lovebirds.

7. Firefighters won’t have to go food shopping anymore.

Firefighting groups are testing autonomous vehicles that will cut the need for human firefighters in half. Strangely, eight of the test vehicles so far have been destroyed by fire. Additionally, a fire detection drone capable of carrying over 30 pounds of equipment has been extensively field tested by numerous fire departments. Reports say that over 600 successful flights have been made between supermarkets and fire stations. Those in charge say more meals … I mean flights … will be necessary before anything can be sent up the chain of command for approval.

One final note: If you live outside of major metropolitan areas or lf you live in states like Alaska or Montana, then forget this. All bets are off. It‘s business as usual!

About the author
Mike Cyra is a former EMT and author of the Emergency Laughter eBook series. Check out his Amazon author page and his Facebook page.

Uniform Stories features a variety of contributors. These sources are experts and educators within their profession. Uniform Stories covers an array of subjects like field stories, entertaining anecdotes, and expert opinions.