Hillsborough County Fire Rescue to Demonstrate Drone Whole Blood Delivery Program

Hillsborough County, Fla. (Sept. 24, 2026) - Hillsborough County Fire Rescue (HCFR) announces the first public demonstration of the Hillsborough County Fire Rescue Drone Whole Blood Delivery Program, a new system designed to save lives during an emergency involving critical bleeding and requiring a blood transfusion at the scene.

The program is the first of its kind in the nation, and HCFR will demonstrate the initiative to the media at 10 a.m. Monday, Sept. 28, at the Hillsborough County Fire Rescue Public Safety Operations Complex, 9450 E. Columbus Dr., Tampa, FL 33619.

HCFR has partnered with Tampa General Hospital, Archer First Response Systems (ArcherFRS), and One Blood to make this project a reality.

The Hillsborough County Fire Rescue Drone Whole Blood Delivery Program will allow a 911 operator or a paramedic on the scene of an emergency to request a unit of whole blood that will be delivered by drone. The drone will deliver a unit of temperature-controlled whole blood to the scene in three-and-a-half minutes or less. The average expected response time within the 35 square miles of either of the two designated systems is just under three minutes. The longest delivery time to the very edge of the coverage area is five minutes.

Paramedics can begin transfusion before hospital transport, moving the "golden hour" of trauma care from the hospital doorway to the incident scene. Paramedics could be responding to a traffic crash, postpartum hemorrhage, medical or trauma patients, or shooting or stabbing victims whose loss of blood is so significant that waiting to get to the hospital for a blood transfusion might be too late to save a patient's life.

The program will be implemented in two operating areas in unincorporated Hillsborough County totaling 70 square miles. Each area will cover 35 square miles from Interstate 4 and Interstate 75 to the north, to just south of Gibsonton Drive. One drone will be located at Hillsborough County Fire Station 9 in Sabal Park. The other drone will be located at Hillsborough County Fire Station 37 in Riverview.

The vision for the program came from HCFR Rescue Division Chief Todd Carnell, who has worked more than two years to put it together. With HCFR paramedics covering a 900-square-mile-county, it is a challenge to get a unit of whole blood to a patient at a scene. Most ambulances don't carry units of whole blood, and it's impossible to predict where the units would be in highest demand or determine which ambulances should carry them.

Chief Carnell, who has been with HCFR for 31 years, considered what would be the quickest way to transport a unit of whole blood to assist and help save the life of a patient at a scene. He came up with using a drone once he met with Archer First Response Systems, based in Sarasota, and then they partnered with Tampa General Hospital.

HCFR was granted a Beyond Visual Line of Sight Certificate of Waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration to operate the two ArcherFRS systems used in this operation and has contracted ArcherFRS to support the program with monitoring, maintenance, and piloting services.

At the Sept. 2 Hillsborough County Board of County Commission meeting, commissioners approved the program, and it is anticipated to begin live operations in October.

The first year will be a proof of concept and pilot program. The future goal of the program is to increase the planned operating areas to cover 50 square miles each and then expand the program to cover all points in the county.

Media Invite for Hillsborough County Fire Rescue Drone Whole Blood Delivery Program Demonstration:
What: Hillsborough County Fire Rescue Drone Whole Blood Delivery Program
When: 10 to 11:30 a.m. Monday, Sept. 28
(Note: The demonstration will start at 10:30 a.m. The entire demonstration will not be repeated.)
Where: Hillsborough County Fire Rescue Public Safety Operations Complex, 9450 E. Columbus Dr., Tampa, FL 33619.