AIRT Announces DRONERESPONDERS Texas Public Safety Coordination Group (TEXGRU) to Bolster Emergency UAS Operations

WILLIAMSBURG, VA - Christopher Todd, Executive Director, AIRT (left), Jason Day, Director of UAS, Texas Department of Public Safety (center), and Chief Charles Werner [

Non-profit program will unite public safety, government, and critical infrastructure operators of drones and related technologies to coordinate knowledge sharing and emergency response in the Lone Star state.

WILLIAMSBURG, VIRGINIA, USA – March 11, 2025 – AIRT, the leading 501(c)3 non-profit organization advancing the use of Drones For Good® and AAM for Good℠, today announced the DRONERESPONDERS Texas Public Safety Coordination Group (TEXGRU), a state-wide coordination group led by public safety UAS leaders with the non-profit mission of providing education, training, knowledge sharing, and emergency coordination among operators of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and related technologies within the Lone Star state. 

TEXGRU represents an evolution of the current Texas Public Safety UAS Working group established by first responders several years ago.  TEXGRU membership will be comprised of public safety members from law enforcement, the fire service, emergency management, transportation, and other government sectors, as well as critical infrastructure operations, the aviation industry, non-governmental organizations, and other stakeholders.  There is no cost to become a member of TEXGRU for those who meet the basic qualifications posted via TEXGRU.org.

“The implementation of TEXGRU represents a new chapter for the public safety unmanned aviation sector across Texas,” said Jason Day, Director of UAS for the Texas Department of Public Safety, and Co-Director of the DRONERESPONDERS Texas Public Safety Coordination Group.  “Our goal is to ensure training standards, expand stakeholder coordination, and bolster capacity for how we respond to critical incidents, emergencies, and potential catastrophes across the state.”

TEXGRU’s non-profit activities will include monthly coordination group calls for members, regional training workshops, and annual conference in the Austin area, and specialized support for stakeholders during pre-planned events and rapidly expanding incidents. 

On-demand advocacy and industry support will be provided to TEXGRU by the AUVSI Lone Star Chapter, the official Texas chapter of the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI).  AIRT previously established a Memorandum of Understanding with AUVSI Lone Star for this purpose.

“The TEXGRU mission is essential towards advancing the use of autonomous vehicle systems for public safety and emergencies,” said Adrian Doko, President of AUVSI Lone Star.  “We wholeheartedly support the expanded use of UAS by Texas public safety agencies and look forward to supporting this endeavor.”

TEXGRU was announced today at the DRONERESPONDERS National Public Safety UAS Conference in Williamsburg, Virginia.  TEXGRU represents the second state-level coordination group launched by AIRT.  In 2021, AIRT announced the DRONERESPONDERS Florida Public Safety Coordination Group (FLOGRU) with a similar mission for Florida.  Starting with just a few members, FLOGRU is now comprised of over 650 members representing more than 150 government agencies and related stakeholders.  AIRT is projecting a similar trajectory for TEXGRU.

“We are extremely excited about expanding the DRONERESPONDERS Coordination Group model to Texas,” said Christopher Todd, Executive Director, AIRT.  “Jason and the Texas team have already established an extremely solid working group foundation.  Our mission is to now formalize, expand, and connect TEXGRU with the DRONERESPONDERS network of global public safety and emergency services professionals using UAS and associated technology to help improve outcomes for incidents and emergencies throughout Texas, across the U.S., and around the world.”

Those interested in learning more about the DRONERESPONDERS Texas Public Safety Coordination Group program and how they can get involved in TEXGRU are invited to visit texgru.org for additional information.

About AIRT

Based in Miami, Florida, AIRT is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization advancing the use of Drones For Good® and AAM For Good℠ for public safety, emergencies, and catastrophe management.  AIRT offers a range of educational programming, training events, and mission-critical deployments that help people prepare for, respond to, and recover from complex emergencies and major disasters.  AIRT’s programs include the Airborne International Response Team, DRONERESPONDERS®, advancing public safety UAS, and FLOGRU and TEXGRU, state-level coordination group models for sharing knowledge and coordinating public safety and government drone operations.  For more information, visit http://airt.ngo