Agency planning resources

Build the operating plan before the request

These resources address the decisions behind useful UAS support: defining the request, incident integration, airspace coordination, sensor limitations, exercises, remote access, connectivity, verification, and information handling.

Interactive planning tool

Agency UAS Support Readiness Checklist

Review authority, assignment definition, communications, remote viewing, deliverables, information handling, verification, and closeout. Selections remain in the browser and are not submitted or stored.

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Agency integration and exercises

Define the relationship, request, exercise objectives, evaluation, and corrective actions before relying on an outside UAS resource.

Fire service planning

Planning Supplemental UAS Support for a Fire Department

A practical planning framework for fire departments evaluating supplemental drone support, including incident command, assignments, thermal limitations, communications, and data handling.

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Agency integration

Integrating an Outside UAS Resource into an Incident or Mutual-Aid Plan

A planning checklist for agencies integrating nonprofit, contracted, or mutual-aid UAS resources into incident command, communications, airspace coordination, and data handling.

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Regional planning

Public-Safety UAS Support Planning in Western Washington

Regional considerations for fire, search, emergency-management, and disaster-response organizations evaluating supplemental UAS support in Western Washington.

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Resource requests

What an Agency Should Provide When Requesting UAS Support

A request checklist for public agencies defining the authority, assignment, location, airspace, hazards, communications, deliverables, and information controls needed for UAS support.

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Training and exercises

How to Exercise a Public-Safety UAS Support Plan

A practical framework for tabletop and field exercises covering activation, command integration, aviation decisions, communications, remote viewing, findings, data transfer, and demobilization.

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Exercises and improvement

Joint UAS Exercise After-Action Review Template

A structured after-action framework for agencies evaluating UAS activation, command integration, aviation decisions, communications, remote viewing, products, information handling, and corrective actions.

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Disaster and damage documentation

Organize visible-condition capture, flood-corridor assignments, site references, product limitations, and information handling for later agency use.

Damage documentation

UAS Disaster-Damage Documentation Request Checklist

A practical checklist for defining locations, damage questions, reference information, capture priorities, field controls, and deliverables before requesting aerial disaster documentation.

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Flood response planning

Planning Aerial Documentation Along a Flood Corridor

How emergency-management and public-works teams can define a flood-corridor observation assignment, reference water conditions, document access and visible impacts, and avoid overstating reconnaissance products.

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Information handling

Planning the Handling of UAS Incident Imagery and Operational Data

A policy-oriented checklist for collecting, transferring, preserving, restricting, documenting, retaining, and releasing aerial imagery and related operational data.

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Secured remote operations

Prepare authorized viewing, connectivity, fallback communications, session controls, and recovery before remote access is operationally important.

Operational communications

Secured Remote Viewing for UAS-Supported Operations

How secured remote video, telemetry, maps, and imagery can support authorized incident personnel—and how access, connectivity, and communications should be managed.

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Remote operations

Connectivity Readiness for Secured UAS Remote Viewing

A field checklist for preparing uplink, playback, authorized viewers, adaptive quality, stall recovery, secondary displays, and communications fallbacks for secured remote video.

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For public agencies

Turn the planning questions into an agency-specific discussion

IRIS Network can discuss mission fit, operating limits, communications, remote viewing, mapping, documentation, and the steps required before participation.