DRONERESPONDERS Public Safety Summit 2026 – Commercial UAV Expo, announced the debut of the DRONERESPONDERS Program Management Course, a new two-day training offering presented by DRONERESPONDERS and produced by Airborne International Response Team (AIRT), and unveiled the session program for the 2026 DRONERESPONDERS Public Safety Summit. Both programs will take place at Caesars Forum in Las Vegas as part of Commercial UAV Expo, which runs September 1-3, 2026.

The Public Safety Summit is built for the full spectrum of public safety UAS practitioners, including law enforcement, fire and rescue, emergency medical services, search and rescue, emergency management, and transportation agencies. Sessions cover Drone as First Responder (DFR) program scaling, fire service operations from structure fires to wildland firefighting and hazmat response, DOT infrastructure and crash-scene applications, shared-airspace coordination between commercial logistics and emergency operations, and evolving training standards for public safety pilots and program managers.

Counter-UAS is one particularly timely focus area in that program. Since the FIFA World Cup 2026 kicked off on June 11, the FBI has seized more than 600 drones from restricted airspace across all 11 U.S. host cities, and federal agencies have detected well over 1,000 drones operating near tournament venues, with matches continuing through the July 19 final at MetLife Stadium. That experience is reflected directly in the Public Safety Summit agenda, which features a two-part session, “Lessons Learned from FIFA World Cup cUAS Response,” bringing together agencies and operators who planned and executed airspace security for the largest FIFA World Cup in history. The takeaways carry forward: federal officials have said World Cup counter-UAS work is laying the groundwork for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, and the agencies scaling public safety UAS programs today are the ones that will be called on next.

“The World Cup has become one of the most visible stress tests yet for public safety airspace management in the United States, and the lessons coming out of it are going to shape how agencies prepare for major events for years to come,” said Adrianne Madden, Event Director, Commercial UAV Expo. “Our attendees need a direct line to the people who lived that response, which is exactly what this Summit is built to deliver.”

DRONERESPONDERS Public Safety Summit sessions

The 2026 Public Safety Summit program spans two days of panels and presentations built to educate and prepare first responder UAS program managers and remote pilots at every experience level. In addition to the two-part FIFA World Cup counter-UAS series, sessions include:

The State of Public Safety UAS Operations, a comprehensive look at how law enforcement, fire, and emergency management agencies are scaling drone programs to meet growing demands
Fire Service Drone Operations Across the Country, featuring program leaders from FDNY, Phoenix Fire Department, CAL FIRE, and Metro Fire on structure fires, wildland firefighting, search and rescue, and hazmat response
How DOTs Are Deploying Drones for Safer Infrastructure, led by the Texas Department of Transportation on bridge inspections, crash-scene documentation, and coordination with public safety partners
Drones on Demand vs. Drones in Emergencies: Who Has the Right of Way?, examining shared airspace between commercial logistics and emergency UAS operations, with panelists from DroneSense by Versaterm, ANRA Technologies, Zipline, and Wing
Scaling the Next Generation of DFR, exploring BVLOS operations, AI-enabled workflows, and resilient communications for Drone as First Responder programs
Shared Skies Ahead: Public Safety UAS Training and Standards in a Changing Environment, an update on DRONERESPONDERS training programs and the Public Safety Training Advisory Council

DRONERESPONDERS Program Management Course debuts at Commercial UAV Expo 2026

New for 2026, the DRONERESPONDERS Program Management Course is a two-day training designed specifically for public safety and government professionals responsible for building, managing, and leading UAS programs. Participants who complete the course receive a certificate of completion. While the curriculum is grounded in real-world public safety operations, the principles, strategies, and lessons learned are applicable across industries, making the course valuable for any organization looking to establish or professionalize a UAS program.

Day One focuses on the operational foundation of a successful program, including UAS program management, training frameworks, standard operating procedures (SOPs), regulatory considerations, safety management systems, and maintenance best practices. Day Two shifts to advancement and strategic growth, covering interagency collaboration, software and data-driven tools, leadership strategies for scaling programs, emerging technologies, and integration with Advanced Air Mobility (AAM).

“Too many public safety UAS programs plateau because the people running them were handed a mission without a playbook,” said Jason Day, Deputy Director, DRONERESPONDERS. “We built this course to give program managers a structured path from foundation to full operational maturity, and Commercial UAV Expo puts it in front of the exact audience that needs it.”

Registration for the DRONERESPONDERS Public Safety Summit includes two days of public safety content, access to Commercial UAV Expo keynote sessions, Pilot Hub, Indoor Airspace Demo Area, UAS Summer Bash, Networking Happy Hour and Public Safety Happy Hour, and the Exhibit Hall featuring the latest UAVs and related technology. The DRONERESPONDERS Program Management Course includes two days of training with a certificate upon completion and provides the same access as the DRONERESPONDERS Public Safety Summit pass.

The complete DRONERESPONDERS Public Safety Summit program schedule, including speakers and times, is available at expouav.com/event-schedule.

For more information and to register, visit www.expouav.com.

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