Hamilton County Emergency Management (HCEM) introduces to the county Dylan Powell as the new Unmanned Aerial Systems Program Manager and Training Coordinator.
Powell comes to HCEM from the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT), where he worked in the aviation department and managed the statewide drone operations. He has a degree in unmanned aerial system management and aviation management. He is an accomplished fixed-wing pilot with a distinguished instrument rating and holds a Part 107 drone pilot’s license.
“We are excited to have someone with such a strong passion for aviation to develop our drone program further,” said HCEM Executive Director Shane Booker.
Powell will also serve as the Hamilton County Public Safety Drone Working Group coordinator, which he attended during his tenure at INDOT. Emergency Management started the working group to collaborate with police and fire agencies with aviation assets in Hamilton County. It has served as a great forum to share best practices, lessons learned, and practice flying together. The group has many accomplishments, including flying in search of missing people, assisting in the apprehension of wanted suspects, mapping, special event support, and more.
Powell’s coordination of training programs for Emergency Management and public safety departments across the county is another focus area. He will ensure those who respond to the Hamilton County Emergency Operations Center are trained in emergency management operations and address training needs in the county, such as advanced incident command courses. He will also serve as an on-call duty officer to respond to emergencies and disasters.
Powell is from Tipton and recently moved to the Arcadia area, where he lives with his wife, Holly.
I’m a pilot, too, and I’m curious about the term, “distinguished” instrument rating.
What’s that?