The Start of Something New

I would like to introduce myself.  My name is Keenan Newton and I am a Paid On Call Firefighter for a town called Lynwood, which is located in the south suburbs of Chicago. I have over 13 years of experience as a firefighter.  I am an Instructor II, FAE and Advanced Firefighter.  I was also a member of the rescue dive team back 15 years ago when Lynwood had a dedicated team. I am also a technology geek.  My day job has always kept me deep in technology.  I have worked for both small and large technology companies, most notably Microsoft.  Today I work for Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory.  I’m also a veteran. I spent 8 years in the National Guard as a Generator Mechanic, nothing glorious but I served my country. I mention this because it gives you some basis of who I am.

I am a firm believer in using technology to improve the effectiveness of public safety professionals.  Whether it is the use of enhanced accountability systems or thermal imaging cameras, technology has changed the way we perform our profession. The introduction of unmanned aerial systems, I believe will be another evolutionary step in the use of technology for public safety organizations.  Its ability to perceive information from a different angle will change how we size up a scene, all the way through until the after action review. However, with the ever changing regulatory climate, technology and the fact that this is pioneering technology, getting a UAS program started with a public safety agency can be a daunting task. I intend this site and corresponding YouTube channel to help gather that information and make it available to all public safety professionals.  Starting next Sunday November, 8th 2016, we will be publishing a video on various subjects on UASs and public safety.  We will also publish links and other information for public safety professionals on this site.

I am by no means an authority on UASs, I am constantly learning like you, and I want to use the technology to help save not only the lives of the our communities but our own as well. I encourage you to join us on this journey by subscribing to the YouTube channel and bookmarking this site. Together, we can help make the integration of UASs in the public safety space an easier and more efficient one.

-Keenan Newton