AIRT and BUSF Partner to Support Cooperation between English and Spanish-Language Public Safety and Emergency Drone Operators
SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA – AIRT Deputy Director Scott Andrew Jaques facilitates a disaster response drone workshop for Costa Rica firefighters in June 2024. The workshop was coordinated in partnership between AIRT, U.S. Southern Command, and other stakeholders. Photo by AIRT.
New Agreement of Cooperation will help foster increased collaboration and outreach in Latin America, the Caribbean, and other regions
MIAMI, FLORIDA, USA – 22 July, 2024 – The Airborne International Response Team (AIRT), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization based in Miami, Florida, United States, advancing the use of Drones For Good® and AAM For Good, and Bomberos Unidos Sin Fronteras (BUSF), a non-governmental organization headquartered in Madrid, Spain, comprised of firefighters and emergency professionals from different fire and rescue services of Ibero-American scope, and have entered into an agreement of cooperation to support increased collaboration and outreach for public safety remote pilots and emergency drone operators in Spanish language-speaking jurisdictions.
Under the agreement, BUSF and AIRT will facilitate international cooperation on the use of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and related technologies to improve emergency services and disaster operations throughout the Ibero-American region. This is ideal given that BUSF is an international institution, particularly rooted in Ibero-America, where it has 4 centers (Disaster Response Centers, CRAC), as well as local branches in Peru, Guatemala, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, Bolivia, and Ecuador.
“Uncrewed aircraft systems represent a dynamic new capability to help save lives for a wide range of emergency missions,” said Jesús Lluch Ferrer, Director General, BUSF. “We look forward to working with AIRT to expand communications and collaboration between Spanish-speaking and English-speaking users of public safety drone technology.”
AIRT and BUSF will initially focus on outreach to Spanish-speaking users in the Caribbean and Latin America to learn how they are using UAS for mission-critical emergency operations and identify key areas for enhanced cooperation. BUSF also plans to open offices in Los Angeles and Miami to deepen its partnership with AIRT in the Americas.
AIRT Deputy Director Scott Andrew Jaques recently led a mission to Costa Rica in partnership with the U.S. Southern Command and other stakeholders. He says breaking down the language barrier to increase communication and understanding is crucial to ensure knowledge can be shared effectively.
“We continue to discover new and innovative ways that first responders across all regions are deploying drones for emergency operations,” said Jaques. “Working with BUSF will allow us to increase cooperation and share knowledge between these users throughout the Americas regardless of language. This will ultimately help us save lives.”
About AIRT
Based in Miami, Florida, AIRT® (Airborne International Response Team) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization advancing the use of Drones For Good® and AAM For Good for public safety and emergencies. 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 DRONERESPONDERS®, advancing public safety UAS and FLOGRU, a state-level workgroup model for sharing knowledge and coordinating public safety drone operations. For more information, visit http://airt.ngo and http://droneresponders.org
About BUSF
Bomberos Unidos Sin Fronteras (BUSF), a non-governmental organization headquartered in Madrid, Spain, comprised of firefighters and emergency professionals from different fire and rescue services of Ibero-American scope. BUSF has responded to catastrophes across four continents to provide emergency services and humanitarian assistance. For more information, visit http://busf.org
