Why DFR matters
DFR puts pre-positioned drones in the air at the earliest moments of a 911 response—so first responders arrive with real situational awareness, not just a radio summary.
“DFR is not cops getting drones quickly on the scene; it’s a way for drones to get cops quickly on scene.” — Fritz Reber
The 911 Gap
Speed isn’t only about flying fast after dispatch. Much of total response time is lost in the 911 Gap — the time from when an emergency happens until responders know both the nature and location. Live911 was built to attack that gap.
Learn more: Live911
The origin
Fritz Reber (then a Chula Vista Police captain) conceived the model with Kabe Termes and named it in 2018 so the industry would have a shared language for this use case. What started as a practical way to get trusted eyes on a call before officers arrived became the DFR model now used across public safety.
Together: early eyes and ears
Together: DFR provides early eyes; Live911 provides early ears. Many early DFR programs adopted both.