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Fame Star Guest

Coitt Kessler
“I came from the military and know what it is to have money and technology. Drones are changing the way we do business in the military.”

Coitt is a highly respected expert in his field known for his key role in shaping public safety policy and standards, including contributing to the 2017 Congressional Roadmap for Unmanned Systems and representing AFD and target IAFF on NFPA's 2400 Standard for Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS). He was most recently assigned to the Austin Fire Department Homeland Security and Special Operations Division.

He is the former Program Manager for AFD’s Robotic Emergency Development (RED) Team, where he oversaw the development and deployment of robotic solutions for emergency response. His expertise expands beyond his work at AFD as he serves as a contributing member of the National Institute of Standards and Technologies (NIST) advisory group on Standard Test Methods for Response Robots, a workgroup member for both DRONERESPONDERS and the Public Safety Aviation Accreditation Commission (PSAAC), and a contributor to the 2017 Congressional Roadmap for unmanned systems.

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Notably, Coitt coordinated unmanned operations for the state of Texas during Hurricane Harvey and has been instrumental in developing statewide Public Safety Unmanned Response Teams (PSURTs).

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Ask me

  • 1

    How do you see robotics and unmanned systems changing the face of emergency response?

  • 2

    What are some of the most significant challenges you've faced in deploying robotic solutions for emergency response?

  • 3

    What are some of the most significant challenges you've faced in developing and implementing PSURTs?

  • 4

    How do you think public safety policy and standards will evolve in the next 5 years?

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