10-04-2025
Medical drones to deliver life-saving supplies
CAMBRIA COUNTY, Pa (WTAJ) — A new program wants to deliver life-saving medical supplies to people in need before first responders arrive.
Aerium is the group behind Drone814. They held a presentation at the Johnstown City Council meeting Wednesday night.
Drone814 will utilize drones to deliver supplies like EpiPens, AEDs and Narcan to create a faster emergency response time. 911 dispatchers will instruct callers on how to use the equipment while crews are on their way.
John Eberhart, the Managing Director of ATA Aviation, presented why drones will be helpful in an emergency.
'The idea is that by getting medical help to people who need it within a couple of minutes, they are going to come through better. They are going to save time, money and people are going to have a better quality of life.'
The drones will be based out of the John Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County Airport. Eberhart also said, 'We choose our dispatch sites really carefully to make sure they're safe and they minimize disruption to residents.'
Eberhart said there will be community open houses on May 13 and 14 at the Pasquerilla Center in Johnstown. On May 30 there will be demonstration flights in downtown Johnstown. They are going to perform test flights during the first week of June.
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