GovGuam expects to develop a drone program, following a two hundred and fifty thousand dollar contract award.
During a signing ceremony on Friday, the Leon Guerrero-Tenorio administration awarded a $250,000 contract to procure professional drone services to enhance emergency response capabilities and create a drone program for the Guam Fire Department and the Government of Guam.
The investment in a drone development program is a one-year contract with Tech Center Guam, which will provide GovGuam with a drone fleet as the Guam Fire Department builds its drone capacity.
Director of Bureau of Statistics and Planning Guam Tyrone Taitano explained that the CARES Act funding would also assist in acquiring the necessary licensure and provide certified training for personnel to operate drones.
According to Fire Chief Dan Stone of the Guam Fire Department, the development of the program will aid the emergency response community significantly, as drone operations would make responses more efficient. Furthermore, Stone added that the drones would also help keep firefighters safe during emergencies.
Additionally, to align with the Leon Guerrero-Tenorio administration’s vision to improve the quality of public services, GFD will partner with other permitting, and regulatory agencies, including the Guam Department of Public Works, Guam Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Public Health and Social Services, and Guam Police Department as the program develops.
Art Dolly, President of Tech Center Guam, says advancing technologies offer Guam and its agencies the opportunity to be at the forefront of safer and more efficient methods of opportunity Guam’s community while decreasing the risk of pandemic-related sickness and infections through the use of drones.
Lastly, Dolly thanked support staff from the University of Guam Drone Corps program for their exemplary work.
