SOUTH WHITEHALL TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Public safety agencies across Pennsylvania attended the first-ever drone conference in Lehigh County on Thursday.
Steve Snyder is a co-founder of the new Pennsylvania chapter of the Law Enforcement Drone Association, or LEDA.
“The organization started to help public safety entities learn and grow as drones become more prevalent in the public safety sector,” said Snyder, who serves as the chapter’s vice president.
In a day-long training held in South Whitehall Township, first responders from across the state brushed up on drone laws, techniques and how to operate different equipment. They also had the chance to speak with representatives from the FAA.
“Going over how to use our drones, just how to perfect what we do, and now we’re going to be out running some scenarios. With FIFA and the America 250 events coming up, there’s going to be a big push to use drones for situation awareness for these large events and keep the public safe,” Snyder stated.
More than two dozen agencies also had the opportunity to run drone drills. The trainings will take place quarterly in different regions across the Commonwealth.
“It’s important to keep everybody up to date on the same laws, the same certifications and do our best to provide the absolute best and safest service that we can,” said Tony Gismondi, LEDA PA chapter president.