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Commissioners approve $4,600 to pursue donated public-safety drone and authorize promotion
Summary
Sagadahoc County commissioners voted March 25 to shift $4,600 from the deputy director line to professional services so the emergency management office can hire a grant‑writing firm and pursue the National Public Safety Drone Donation Program; commissioners also authorized promoting the donation drive on county channels.
Sagadahoc County commissioners voted March 25 to authorize Emergency Management staff to pursue donated drones through the National Public Safety Drone Donation Program and to transfer $4,600 from the deputy director line item into professional services to pay a contractor to prepare grant narratives.
The move, approved by motion and second, came after Emergency Management staff told commissioners the program would purchase drones through donations raised on the county’s behalf but requires the county to assist with promotion. “They handle all the aspects of purchasing the drone. It is all donated funds to them on our behalf,” the staff member said. The same staff member said the firm the county would hire focuses on “wordsmithing” grant narratives and estimated roughly a 70 percent success rate for awards they pursue.
Why it matters: county emergency responders do not now have a thermal drone, staff said. Thermal-capable drones can be used for accident reconstruction, search-and-rescue, monitoring ice jams, situational awareness at incident scenes and for spotting small fires. The county has about seven trained drone pilots across local fire departments and the sheriff’s office but, staff said, lacks the specific drones those pilots could operate.
Emergency Management explained the proposed public outreach requirement and funding mechanics: donations would be raised by the National Public Safety Drone Donation Program and earmarked for equipment the county requests; the contractor would prepare grant narratives that the county can reuse for multiple funding opportunities. The staff member said the donation funds would not be federal money and that the program uses both private and public fundraising.
Commissioner John moved to transfer $4,600 from the deputy director account to professional services and to allow county staff to promote the donation drive; David Hennessy seconded. Commissioners voted unanimously in favor.
The county will now contract for professional services to prepare grant narrative materials and assist with promotional messaging while Emergency Management continues to prepare required grant budgets and applications. The program requires promotion by the recipient jurisdiction; donated funds would be directed to the county’s requested equipment through the donation program.
