Community Partner Profile: Gabe Graveline on utilizing drone technology in Tulsa’s first response efforts

Gabe Graveline’s childhood fascination with aviation evolved into a lifelong passion, leading him to a dynamic career with the Tulsa Fire Department and as a small business owner. In this month’s Community Profile, we highlight Gabe’s role in fostering collaborative efforts that leverage local talent to position Tulsa as a leader in the Drone, Fire, and Rescue (DFR) field. By forging strategic partnerships with public safety agencies, local universities, and industry stakeholders, Gabe is instrumental in advancing Tulsa’s prominence in emergency response and technological innovation.

Please share your background and roles with the Tulsa Fire Department and in the drone industry.

Growing up interested in aviation, I would build radio control aircraft as a kid and dream of piloting larger aircraft. That passion continued, and upon graduation from high school, I moved to Tulsa to attend flight school. I became a pilot, but while working through flight school at Tulsa International Airport, I got to know the flight crews for a local air ambulance company. Seeing their work firsthand prompted me to take an EMT Basic class, eventually leading to my career as a Tulsa Firefighter/Paramedic. I am close to entering my 19th year with TFD and am currently assigned to the Community Response Team, which has me working alongside a Tulsa Police Officer and Licensed Mental Health Counselor. We respond to any mental health crisis or any call we feel may have a mental health component we can assist with. In 2015, I started using drones for business when I was off duty from the fire department, flying under a 333 exemption from the FAA (before there was Part 107). My company, RespondAir UAS, continues to provide various services using drones and other robotics today. Having access to the technology, it made sense for me to introduce drones to Tulsa FD and the OKTF-1 USAR team for response to emergency scenes and disasters. We have responded in many ways and assisted more agencies than I could have imagined. Even in my current assignment, we use robotics to de-escalate some pretty tense situations that have helped keep us and our patients safe. Tulsa Fire Department uses and tests Land, Air, and Water drones/tech to make responses safer for responders and citizens. I help lead that effort on top of my primary job duties.

With Tulsa’s recent award as one of 12 federal Tech Hubs with allocated funding for autonomous systems, how would you describe the potential for the drone industry in Tulsa?

The potential for Tulsa to grow domestic autonomous offerings is endless. There is so much local talent and well-established infrastructure stemming from our deep roots in aviation, energy production, and manufacturing. I believe Tulsa will thrive with the collaboration and partnerships we have formed. It will be important for us to continuously provide results and never settle for small talk. That is a big problem in the industry right now- overpromising and under delivering. If we as a group commit to something, let’s see it through and prove that we are the leaders.

What sparked your interest in the industry?

When I started toying with R/C planes as a kid, I never realized it would become anything more than a way to feed my passion. My continuous love for aviation and the desire to help others on their worst day motivates me. Finding a way to mix the two has kept me wanting to learn more, find new ways to integrate the technology and create collaborations with others as passionate as I am. Those who have known me for a while can attest that I have been chasing this for a long time; it’s fantastic to see it finally “taking off.”

Drones as First Responders (DFR) is a significant industry focus. Can you share more about how Tulsa is advancing the DFR field through collaboration among the public safety sector, local universities and industry partners?

While there have been several variations of Drones as a First Responder, I wanted to be sure the Tulsa Fire Department’s model would have a return for the region. The infrastructure needed for true DFR is a scaled-down version of what we would like to have for Advanced Air Mobility. If we can prove that we can be safe and efficient on a smaller scale, we are more likely to have air taxis and larger integrations approved sooner. Another component I wanted to concentrate on was using the homegrown roots and talent I spoke of earlier. We have brilliant people right here in our backyard, and if we are willing to break out of our silos, we can accomplish so much more. Having visited and worked with various public safety agencies across the country, I noticed there are many essential components to make a program like this sustainable. One of those was the organization of the abundance of data a pilot/responder had to process. Chasing down the information from various sources and finding a way to prioritize it distracted responders from the actual task at hand – the emergency. AirWise Solutions, a Tulsa software company, provided a custom-made solution for our agency. Coincidentally, they had plenty of experience with drones for enterprise, and having them local made them fantastic to work with. Once we made progress on that, we began to list resources we lacked together with AirWise. Reaching out to Oklahoma State University, the Osage Nation, and our other partners proved two things. Number one, we all had similar goals, and two, we had something to contribute to that goal. Together, we are building a domestic DFR solution with primarily Oklahoma companies. I would love to list them all here, but I would likely omit someone mistakenly. There are many, and each with its niche fitting into the puzzle. It is incredible having all these resources willing to work together at our doorstep. We have the potential to shape the future of public safety response through the responsible use of this technology.

What advice would you give to those interested in becoming a drone pilot? Where should they begin building their skills and learning more about the technology?

My suggestion would be to start as early as you can. If there are classes offered at your high school, university, or tech… take them. Be involved in technology clubs that challenge you to build new things. I credit my early years in industrial technology for challenging me to learn how things work, how they can be improved, and how they relate to the career I wanted. For this reason, I do my best to stay involved in local STEM events and workshops. Always be willing to go back to the drawing board to find a safer and more efficient way to accomplish a task. Never stop learning or pushing forward. You got this!