04/02/2026
HALIFAX 3 Day - DRONE OPERATIONS IN FIREFIGHTING COURSE
26-28 June 26 - Venue TBC
(Book soon! limited spaces available).
THIS COURSE IS FOR ANYONE INTERESTED IN IMPROVING THEIR PRACTICES AND SKILLS!
Course Overview: This 3-day course is designed to provide participants, particularly in fire services, with comprehensive training in Flight Planning for Firefighting Operations and conducting practical flying exercises and the operation of a Mobile Drone Operations Unit. The course will cover key topics in flight planning that will ensure drone operators show up on scene prepared to fly missions safely and effectively. The course also prepares students to fly missions legally in accordance with Transport Canada Regulations and the NFPA 2400 - Standard for Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) Used for Public Safety Operations. Students will be shown how to complete documentation and web requests for flying in controlled airspace and missions with associated risk. Practical flying operations take place over a 1.5 day period consisting of administering crew briefings, flying through a built up course and data collection which is disseminated electronically to the Drone Operations Unit. Wireless communication, coordination and report completion bring the separate facets of a drone team together. All visual data is monitored by students in the Mobile Drone Operations Unit. Tasks are assigned to 2 drone teams from the Operations Unit to an onsite drone coordinator which are then assigned to each drone team. Collected data is sent back to the Operations unit via a live stream from each team to 2 monitoring stations in the Operations Unit.
Students will also have the option to write the Restricted Operator Certificate (Aviation) Exam “ROC(A) for use of aviation radios”. Students will receive the ROC(A) certification upon successful completion of the short exam.
Day 1
Evening Session (6:00 PM – 9:00 PM)
Introduction and Course Objectives
o Welcome and instructor/student introductions
o Course overview and learning outcomes
o Types of Public Safety Drone Missions
Pre-Flight Planning
o Mission Objectives
o Weather and Environmental Conditions
o Site Survey and Safety
Equipment Preparation
o Drone Hardware and Payload
o Communication Tools
Team Roles and Briefing
o Roles and Responsibilities
o Delivering Team Briefings
Operational Considerations
o Several topics are presented and discussed in detail to prepare students for drone missions.
ROC(A) Exam
Day 2
Morning Session (8:00 AM – 2:30 PM) Lunch at noon
ROC (A) Exam
Data Management and Analysis
o Introduction to Back-up Manager Software.
o Data Analysis and Reporting
o Introduction to DJI Thermal Analysis Tool
o Introduction to an Ortho-mosaic and a 3D Fire Scene Model
Post-Flight Procedures
o Several topics are presented and discussed in detail to prepare students to regroup post flight and complete all tasks require to bring the drone program back to a state of readiness.
Documentation
o Required documentation is covered in order to fly legally in accordance with regulations.
Flight Planning Applications Introduction:
o Complete Overview of the Drone Pilot Canada App
o Overview of Team Management on the Drone Pilot Canada App and Website
o Introduction to Nav Drone
o Nav Drone on the web
o Nav Drone App
o Flight Authorization requests for flying in controlled airspace
DJI Geo Zone Unlocking
o How to unlock your DJI drone to fly in locked DJI GEO Zones
VTA Charts Introduction
Canada Flight Supplement Introduction
SFOC’s Transport Canada
o What requires an SFOC?
o High Risk SFOCs
o Lower-risk SFOC-RPAS operations
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
o Introduce a complete set of Firefighting Drone specific SOP’s
o Introduce Operations Binder
o Introduce Operations Equipment Checklist
Afternoon Session (2:30 PM – 6:00 PM)
Use Checklists to perform crew briefing
Prepare for hands on drone operations (Site Setup/Survey)
Hands on flying practice using NDM Drones.
Day 3
Morning Session (8:00 AM - 12:15 PM)
Flight preparations, crew assignment/briefings, practical exercise overview.
Practical exercise ex*****on
Afternoon Session (1:00 PM – 4:00 PM)
Crew rotation/practical exercise ex*****on.
Debrief, course critique
Certificates
Closing remarks
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Materials Provided to keep:
• Refreshments and Snacks
• Course handouts
• CHECKLIST BOOK WITH ALL REQUIRED CHECKLISTS and reference guides
• Soft resources for Flight Planning, Data Backup and Thermal Analysis
• Handsomely framed Certificate of completion
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The learning outcomes in this outline ensure participants gain theoretical knowledge enabling fire services personnel to plan, prepare for and execute drone operations safely and effectively.
Nomadic Drone Media Inc. is a drone training company with extensive training development and delivery experience. NDM is the only training provider in Atlantic Canada that delivers NFPA 2400 based drone training.
We can assist you with selecting and acquiring the appropriate drones and equipment for your operations. Additionally, our training programs are geared towards familiarizing your personnel with setting up and managing a complete drone program for your department. Coupling this with the skills training will ensure your department has an effective and compliant drone program.
Our Chief Instructor and company founder, Terry Gracie, is a retired Royal Canadian Air Force Officer of 23 years. He has extensive knowledge and experience developing training programs and providing instruction on a wide variety of subjects. He has been a successful training developer and instructor in many fields including Construction Management, Project Management, Steam Heating, Real Property Management, Budget Management, Motorcycle Training, Advanced CNC Operator Training and notably, Advanced Drone Instruction for pilot acquisition of the Transport Canada Advanced Drone Pilot Certification.
Course Details:
Location: Greater Halifax Area, Venue TBC.
Dates: 26-28 Jun 26
Cost: $765 p/Student (Book soon! limited spaces available). Nomadic Drone Media does not charge HST. Flexible payment options ETrans, Cheque, Credit Card, Cash.
It is recommended but not essential students have at a minimum a Transport Canada – Basic RPAS(Drone) Pilot Certificate in order to fly the drones (online exam). https://tc.canada.ca/.../getting-drone-pilot-certificate
Must be 16 Years of age or older.
Contact us today at (506)260-9902 or [email protected] , www.nomadicdronemedia.com for enrolment details, we would be happy to answer any questions you may have.
Ask about our other Fire Service Drone Courses!
