Tampa General Hospital is preparing to launch what it says will be the nation’s first EMS-driven drone delivery program for pre-hospital whole blood, aiming to get lifesaving blood to trauma patients before they reach the hospital.
The program, developed with Hillsborough County Fire Rescue, USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, the Florida Center for Emergency Medical Services, OneBlood and Archer First Response Systems, is designed to reduce blood transport times for patients with severe bleeding.
Under the initiative, emergency responders attending 9-1-1 calls involving major blood loss will be able to request a drone carrying whole blood while crews travel to the scene. First responders will then be able to begin transfusions on site, if needed, before the patient is transported to hospital.
The two-drone pilot is expected to cover a combined 70-square-mile area in Hillsborough County and deliver blood to emergency scenes in under three minutes on average. The drones and logistics infrastructure will be provided by Archer First Response Systems and operated by Hillsborough County Fire Rescue.
The program will initially be based at Hillsborough County Fire Rescue Station 9 in the Faulkenburg/Sabal Park area and Station 37 in Riverview. Tampa General said the sites were selected because they serve areas with high volumes of penetrating trauma and hemorrhagic injuries.
“The golden hour of trauma care has always started at the hospital door until now,” said Michele Moran, senior vice president for emergency services at Tampa General. “This program puts whole blood directly into the hands of first responders before a patient ever reaches us, moving that critical window to the scene of the emergency itself.”
John Couris, president and CEO of Tampa General | Florida Health Sciences Center, said the use of drone technology would help the health system and its partners reach patients faster and improve outcomes.
Chief Todd Carnell, rescue division chief of Hillsborough County Fire Rescue, described the pilot as “a game changer” for first responders and the families they serve, adding that access to whole blood at the scene could improve a patient’s chances of survival.
Dr. Jason Wilson, chief of emergency medicine at Tampa General Hospital and founding chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, said faster access to whole blood is a major predictor of survival in trauma cases involving hemorrhage.
Gordon Folkes, CEO of Archer FRS, said the company was “thrilled” to support the collaboration and contribute to reduced response times, improved outcomes and more lives saved.
The technology is scheduled to come online in October 2026, subject to approval by the Hillsborough County Commission, which is due to consider the proposal on September 2.
