NORWICH – The Norwich Fire Department purchased a drone for emergency response assistance almost three years ago, but due to liability and licensing issues, they’ve been unable to use it.

“When we originally purchased the drone for $1,000 we were on the forefront of using this kind of technology, but we quickly realized that there were a lot of insurance and liability issues,” said Chenango County Emergency Management Officer A Wesley Jones.

To help determine if the drone can still be used, Jones, Police Department Deputy Chief Scott Burlinson, and Fire Department Assistant Chief Michael Ford traveled to the New York State Preparedness Training Center in Oriskany to attend a drone based informational seminar.

According to Jones, the seminar held at the preparedness training center was free, and it provided attendees with updated information on drone usage by government and municipalities.