Emergency drone course
Online course of 300 hours in drones for emergencies: 6 modules covering emergency management, the operational and regulatory framework, sensors and search, situational awareness, and logistics and recovery, with an assigned technical tutor.
Take the controls.
Run a real engineering trade-off from this field. Move the sliders, watch the model react in real time and beat the challenge.
What you will be able to do
Integrate drones into the emergency management cycle.
Understand the regulatory framework for emergency operations.
Apply search techniques based on probability of detection.
Produce near-real-time situational awareness products.
Coordinate drone operations with crewed aerial assets.
Design standard operating procedures for drone units.
Assess the effectiveness of UAS interventions.
Who it's for
- Emergency drone pilots looking to deepen their operational skills.
- Air operations coordinators in civil protection and firefighting services.
- Civil protection technicians who want to bring UAS into emergency planning.
- Emergency geographic information analysts working with aerial data.
- Firefighters specialising in UAS.
- Drone unit managers responsible for procedures and crews.
- Engineering or science graduates seeking to enter civil protection.
What you'll work with
- Law 17/2015 on the National Civil Protection System (Spanish civil protection framework)
- Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947 (rules and procedures for UAS operations)
- Royal Decree 517/2024 (Spanish UAS regulatory framework)
- Royal Decree 1036/2017 (Spanish rules on civil use of remotely piloted aircraft)
- Regulation (EU) 2018/1139 (EU common rules in civil aviation and EASA)
- Royal Decree 524/2023 (Basic Civil Protection Standard) (basic civil protection planning standard)
- Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR) (EU data protection)
- DJI FlightHub 2
- QGIS
- ArcGIS Field Maps
- DroneDeploy
- SARTopo
6 modules
1.1National civil protection system1.2The emergency cycle: prevention, response and recovery1.3Use cases in wildfires, floods and rescue1.4Integration into emergency plans1.5Coordination with crewed aerial assets1.6Doctrine for the use of UAS in emergencies1.7International experience and lessons learnt1.8Ethical and privacy aspects1.9Volunteering and drone units1.10Case study: analysis of the deployment in a major flood
2.1State operations and exemptions2.2The specific category in emergencies2.3Temporary restricted zones2.4Coordination with ENAIRE and air traffic control2.5Communication with firefighting aircraft2.6Safety of people on the ground2.7Take-off protocols in unprepared areas2.8Insurance and liability2.9Operations documentation2.10Practical exercise: drafting an operating procedure for wildfires
3.1Thermal cameras for locating people3.2Optical zoom and stabilisation3.3Search patterns: parallel, spiral and sector3.4Probability of detection and search theory3.5Automatic detection of people with AI3.6Mobile phone location3.7Loudspeakers and spotlights for communication3.8Dropping rescue equipment3.9Night operations3.10Workshop: designing a search pattern with probability of detection
4.1Video transmission to command centres4.2Rapid mapping of affected areas4.3Damage assessment of buildings4.4Tracking wildfire fronts4.5Flood modelling with aerial data4.6Integration with geographic information systems4.7Command and control platforms4.8Inter-agency interoperability4.9Managing large volumes of imagery4.10Lab: rapid orthomosaic for damage assessment
5.1Transport of defibrillators and medical supplies5.2Communications relay drones5.3Drones for controlled ignition5.4Detection of hazardous materials5.5Inspection of structures after earthquakes5.6Training and drills5.7Fleet maintenance in continuous operation5.8Fatigue and crew rotation5.9Post-intervention assessment5.10Case study: lessons learnt from a forest fire
6.1Selecting the emergency scenario6.2Analysis of operational needs6.3Selection of platforms and sensors6.4Standard operating procedure6.5Air coordination plan6.6Deployment simulation6.7Effectiveness indicators6.8Team training plan6.9Report and presentation6.10Final project: final review with your tutor
How you'll learn
Training is 100% online on the SEIUM campus, with downloadable material, recorded classes and an assigned technical tutor. There are no fixed timetables: you progress at your own pace within the intake, making it compatible with work.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original regulations and applied exercises. The working software is DJI FlightHub 2, QGIS, ArcGIS Field Maps, DroneDeploy and SARTopo, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Exercises are based on real procedures from search and rescue drills, rapid mapping of affected areas and coordination with aerial assets in wildfires. Assessment is continuous by module, plus the final capstone project.
Standards covered: Law 17/2015 on the National Civil Protection System, Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947, Royal Decree 517/2024, Royal Decree 1036/2017, Regulation (EU) 2018/1139, Royal Decree 524/2023 (Basic Civil Protection Standard), Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR).
Build it end to end
Your final project follows the real engineering workflow, step by step, reviewed by your tutor.
Where this takes you
Requirements
- No prior qualification is required.
- An internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme software.
- English sufficient to read technical standards.
Ready to start?
Send your application today. Our admissions team replies within 72 hours with your study plan and funding options.
Frequently asked questions
The programme totals 300 hours over 3 months. You set your own pace within each intake, and your tutor helps you plan the workload around your job.
You work with DJI FlightHub 2, QGIS, ArcGIS Field Maps, DroneDeploy and SARTopo, using free, academic or evaluation versions. Your tutor indicates the free alternative wherever one exists.
A SEIUM Institute certificate, awarded on passing the continuous assessment and the final project. It is SEIUM's own qualification, not an official state degree; its recognition depends on the programme completed and the regulations of each country.
Yes. Modules passed are recognised in a higher programme in the same area (postgraduate diploma or master's). Ask about the recognition policy when you enrol.
No prior qualification is required; you need an internet connection, a computer able to run the programme software and English sufficient to read technical standards.
Start dates are set by SEIUM's faculty for each intake. Our admissions team will confirm the next available date when you apply.
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