AIRT, a 501(c)3 non profit organization advancing the use of Drones For Good®and AAM for Good℠, have announced the DRONERESPONDERS California Public Safety Coordination Group (CALGRU), a statewide coordination body led by California public safety UAS professionals. CALGRU’s non profit mission is to enhance education, knowledge sharing, policy alignment, and operational coordination among unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and counter UAS stakeholders across the State of California.
CALGRU represents the evolution of several regional and discipline-specific UAS working groups that have emerged across California in recent years. Membership will include representatives from law enforcement, fire services, emergency management, transportation, environmental protection, and other government sectors, as well as critical infrastructure operators, aviation partners, NGOs, and additional stakeholders. There is no cost to join CALGRU for those who meet the qualifications listed at CALGRU.org.
“The launch of CALGRU marks a major step forward for California’s public safety unmanned aviation community,” said Dan Munsey, Fire Chief of San Bernardino County Fire Protection District. “Our goal is to strengthen statewide coordination, information sharing, and ensure California agencies are equipped to respond effectively to emergencies and disasters.” – Dan Munsey, Fire Chief for San Bernardino County.
CALGRU’s non-profit activities will include monthly statewide coordination calls, regional working group engagement, an annual statewide summit, and specialized support for stakeholders during pre-planned events and rapidly evolving incidents.
CALGRU is the fifth state-level coordination group launched by AIRT, following the successful establishment of FLOGRU in Florida, TEXGRU in Texas, OHGRU in Ohio, and NCGRU in North Carolina. FLOGRU, launched in 2021, has grown from a handful of members to more than 650 participants representing over 150 agencies, a trajectory AIRT anticipates CALGRU will mirror.
“We are thrilled to expand the DRONERESPONDERS Coordination Group model to California,” said Christopher Todd, Executive Director of AIRT. “California’s public safety community has long been a national leader in UAS innovation. CALGRU will formalize that leadership, strengthen collaboration, and connect California agencies with the global DRONERESPONDERS network working to improve outcomes for incidents and emergencies worldwide.”