DRONERESPONDERS partners with HelpNow Project to give public safety drone teams hands-on access to hosted TAK server

Partnership removes the server barrier for ready-to-use TAK environment for training, evaluation and multiagency coordination

MAIMI, FL, UNITED STATES, October 30, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- DRONERESPONDERS, the public safety drone alliance and an official 501(c)(3) Drones for Good program of AIRT Inc., today announced a partnership with Florida Response Team Charities Inc., doing business as HelpNow Project, to give members of the DRONERESPONDERS TAK Working Group access to TryTAK, HelpNow Project’s hosted Team Awareness Kit service for nonprofits, Community Emergency Response Teams, search-and-rescue teams, security teams and other nongovernmental public safety organizations. The partnership was facilitated by Zev Nadler, who founded the TAK Working Group in September 2025.

TAK has gained rapid traction across the public safety community as a proven method for showing the precise, real-time locations of every team member and asset on an incident. The result is a common operating picture — a single shared view that gives responders 360-degree awareness of what is happening on the ground and in the air, with video shared from drones or manned aircraft cameras and persistent communications across agencies and disciplines.

The DRONERESPONDERS TAK Working Group launched in September 2025 and has since become the alliance’s fastest-growing member working group. Its growth reflected a clear need and an equally clear obstacle. Agencies wanted to evaluate TAK, but standing up a server to do it required time, infrastructure and technical expertise that most volunteer and small-agency teams do not have on hand. Providing members a working TAK server they could simply log in to and test-drive removed that barrier.

That is the gap the HelpNow Project partnership closes. Through TryTAK, working group members can now join a live, managed TAK environment and begin operating in it immediately, without procuring hardware, configuring software or maintaining a server of their own.

“TAK is fundamentally changing how public safety agencies work together — faster, more safely and more efficiently,” said Chief Charles L. Werner (RET), Director of DRONERESPONDERS. “By putting Cursor on Target technology in responders’ hands and creating a true common operating picture, we are seeing a clear shift toward integrating this technology as a standard component of modern emergency response.”

“Every hour a team spends building and patching a server is an hour it is not spending training or responding,” said Jason Esterline, director of communications for HelpNow Project. “TryTAK exists so that a nongovernmental group or a volunteer drone team can get to the part that actually matters — operating together on a shared picture — on day one. Partnering with DRONERESPONDERS puts that in front of exactly the people we built it for.”

“When HelpNow Project began standing up TryTAK, it was a natural fit for our TAK Working Group,” said Zev Nadler, founder of the DRONERESPONDERS TAK Working Group. “It gives agencies a faster, lower-barrier way to begin using TAK, with a clear path to running their own server instances once they are ready. Being able to support a fellow 501(c)(3) that helps Florida communities recover after disasters made the decision even easier.”

TryTAK has also published a side-by-side comparison of its hosted service and a self-run TAK server, so teams can see exactly what they get with each. While both deliver live shared maps, secure team chat, group channels, video and support for every major TAK application, the real difference is in who handles the setup and the upkeep.

The full comparison and additional information are available at trytak.org.

About DRONERESPONDERS

DRONERESPONDERS is the world’s leading nonprofit program supporting public safety agencies and emergency services organizations using unmanned aircraft systems, Counter-UAS, and Advanced Air Mobility technologies for life-safety missions. The program provides training, data-driven insights, operational best practices, and collaboration opportunities for first responders implementing drone technology in emergency response, law enforcement, fire service, search and rescue, and disaster operations. DRONERESPONDERS is an official program of AIRT, the world’s leading 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization advancing Drones For Good^® and AAM For Good^® for public safety, emergency response, humanitarian assistance, and disaster relief. Learn more at droneresponders.org.

About AIRT

AIRT (Airborne International Response Team) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2017 that provides innovative aviation and aerospace resources to help people and organizations prepare for, respond to, and recover from complex emergencies and major disasters. AIRT is the official home of the DRONERESPONDERS program. Learn more at airt.ngo.

About HelpNow Project

HelpNow Project is the operating name of Florida Response Team Charities Inc., a veteran-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2015 in the Tampa Bay area. HelpNow Project delivers rapid, on-the-ground disaster relief while equipping communities with lifesaving skills through no-cost preparedness training, active-shooter response instruction and CPR/AED certification. Its mobile command center supports field operations with solar power, satellite internet, medical facilities and charging stations. HelpNow Project also operates TryTAK, a hosted Team Awareness Kit service for nonprofits such as search-and-rescue teams, security teams and other volunteer nongovernmental public safety organizations. Learn more at helpnowproject.org.
HelpNow Project: Jason Esterline, Director of Communications | jason@helpnowproject.org | 800-948-8313

About UAS Strategic

UAS Strategic is a consulting firm that works with public safety agencies, critical infrastructure operators, and security teams on airspace awareness, including passive drone detection and TAK integration.
DRONERESPONDERS TAK Working Group: Zev Nadler, Founder | zev@uasstrategic.com | 480-331-9546



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Angela Costello
DRONERESPONDERS
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