Based out of a paramedic and fire station off of Highway 50, officials with the service said specially trained paramedic personnel can send the drone within a four-kilometre radius.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is mission-specific, so getting time-sensitive medical supplies to someone ahead of paramedic,\u201d Paul Snobelen, a community programs specialist with Peel paramedics, told CityNews during a tour of the drone station retrofitted inside an ambulance.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got a boundary setup that is Transport Canada-approved. We file a flight plan saying in this area, we are going to respond to 911 calls.\u201d <\/p>\n
After plotting a course and sending the drone to a specific address, a safe spot is found to hover over and the drone descends to around 10 feet above the ground and then the bag of supplies is dropped. It is up to Snobelen or another drone operator to radio to 911 dispatchers to advise the package has been dropped. The 911 call taker will tell the resident where the package is and to bring it to the patient, and that\u2019s when instructions will be given over the phone or through a Facetime connection.<\/p>\n
Officials said early data has shown the drone can typically arrive anywhere between three and eight minutes ahead of paramedics travelling in an ambulance.<\/p>\n
\u201cMinutes matter in this scenario, so the sooner we have an intervention the better the outcome can be,\u201d Snobelen said.<\/p>\n
He said the drone has a maximum speed of 100 km\/h, but paramedic personnel have been flying it closer to 40 km\/h. Officials added the drone can operate in some inclement weather, but visibility and severe winds are the biggest challenge to flight operations.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t compete with traffic, we don\u2019t compete with red lights and geography isn\u2019t an issue for us,\u201d Snobelen emphasized.<\/p>\n
Alison Crossby, the community programs unit commander, described the new pilot project as providing a fast, \u201ccutting-edge\u201d service. Officials stressed the program won\u2019t replace ambulances and paramedics, but that the services would be in addition to what exists.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the future of technology. It\u2019s the future of innovation. It\u2019s the future of healthcare, and we have seen the need to do this type of activity for several years,\u201d she told CityNews.<\/p>\n
\u201cMinutes really do matter in a cardiac arrest or in a life-saving emergency; It can be the difference between somebody recovering and having full cognitive capacity afterwards or not leaving the hospital afterwards. So our goal is to at least make it to every single one of the calls we deploy to 50 per cent of the time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Crossby said the cost of getting the pilot project going was nearly $250,000 and that it funded all of the required equipment and software, training, and the initial operating costs to get the program . She said Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre provided grant and research money toward the pilot project. <\/p>\n
As the pilot project goes on and after it\u2019s completed, Crossby said the service will be reviewing all of the data it gathered to determine next steps. She added there would be a period of winter maintenance to keep the drone operating to specifications. It\u2019s unclear when the final report on whether or not to continue the pilot project will be tabled for consideration.<\/p>\n
When asked what would constitute success for the pilot project, Crossby had a brief answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cSaving a life, it\u2019s as simple as that,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Peel-Regional-Paramedic-Services-Bolton-drone-pilot-project-paramedics-e1790106200179-1024x577.jpg\")
\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\tA drone operated by Peel Regional Paramedic Services can be seen on a landing pad behind a station in Bolton before it goes up on a test flight as part of a lengthy pilot project. CITYNEWS \/ Nick Westoll <\/p>\n
\t\tKeep it Factual<\/p>\n
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