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

The requesting organization should verify pilot qualifications, aircraft registration, operating authority, insurance, relevant training, equipment limitations, and the resource’s ability to work within agency procedures. Capabilities should be described in operational terms rather than equipment-brand claims.

Identify who may request the resource, who may approve activation, where the UAS team reports, and who can modify or terminate the assignment. A direct contact and a backup contact prevent an arriving team from operating without a clear supervisor or operational question.

The pilot must be able to decline or stop a flight when aviation conditions are unsuitable. That decision should not prevent the agency from re-scoping the information request or using another method.

The plan should address crewed aircraft, temporary flight restrictions, nearby airports, apparatus, wires, towers, smoke, weather, public access, lighting, launch/recovery areas, and radio procedures. When multiple aircraft or UAS teams are present, one clearly defined coordination process is essential.

Incident video, telemetry, maps, and snapshots can contain sensitive locations, people, tactics, or agency information. Remote viewing should be operation-specific, time-limited, and restricted to authorized personnel. Access credentials should be revocable and should not be sent through public pages or stored in an incident report.

The agency and provider should agree on what will be retained, where deliverables will be transferred, who may redistribute them, and when working copies are deleted.

A short exercise can reveal failures that a written agreement does not: incompatible radios, blocked web access, weak cellular coverage, unclear map formats, inaccessible launch sites, or confusion about who is watching the live feed. Test the operational chain from request through final data transfer, including a failed-connectivity scenario.