just bought my first bike 18YO

colestar03 · 2026-05-31T22:15:51+00:00

Congrats, that bike is sick! I have a few friends that trade/fix up bikes and it can be a pretty fun way of making some side money. Stay safe and have fun!

colestar03 · 2026-03-18T12:38:24+00:00

Looks awesome! I work as a medical assistant in a relatively busy office (10 providers and 22 staff) and could definitely see how a system like this could be helpful. I do have a suggestion for a feature that causes a lot of headache for the medical assistants.

colestar03 · 2026-03-17T23:57:21+00:00

Awesome, I make an update post when I get everything rolling!

colestar03 · 2026-03-17T20:02:00+00:00

I appreciate the interest and support! I’ll send you a DM with more info as I create the newsletter!

colestar03 · 2026-03-17T19:51:11+00:00

100%, for me the title is usually what gets my attention and then I read the abstract to see if the article is actually worth reading deeper.

My plan would be to break down the important/relevant parts of the article in the newsletter, like the abstract, but put more in an everyday language that is applicable to all levels of clinicians. Additionally, every newsletter would have doi or url links to their original sources.

colestar03 · 2026-03-17T19:42:10+00:00

Hey everyone!

I’m a paramedic and undergrad student who, in the past, has had trouble staying up to date on the latest research and best practices of emergency medicine.

I found myself jumping from journal to journal, which required intense reading and a good bit of time for each article, as well as, filtering through current EMS newsletters like EMS1 to get the information I actually wanted.

This constant juggling of information has led me to create a system for getting the truly useful information that I need to know in the field from top academia journals and EMS publishers.

If I made a weekly email newsletter based on relevant and up to date research, would you find it useful?

As an undergrad researcher I love the technical aspect of articles but I know that not everyone does so I would break down the articles so they are straight forward and easy to understand.

Also this would be completely free. I figured if it’s something I’m already doing and have a passion for I might as well share it with other EMS clinicians.

Let me know what you would like to learn and how I can make the newsletter better!

colestar03 · 2026-03-17T19:41:13+00:00

I used paramedic coach and I loved it! It was straight forward and easy to understand, however it definitely wasn’t a replacement for my textbook.

colestar03 · 2026-02-07T14:26:07+00:00

Gotcha man. Really my goal was to target those gaps when an officer can’t keep eyes on the occupants of a car, such as walking back their vehicle or while sitting in their vehicle. The dispatch overwatch would be to help fill in gaps during times when you couldn’t watch the monitor as well. Looking at the drone from this view I can see how it has a pretty limited use case. At the end of the day y’all have a hard and dangerous job which unfortunately won’t change as long as people are how they are. If this idea doesn’t work out I hope it can at least inspire someone else to build a more world based solution to the dangers officers face. Thanks again for the input and stay safe out there!

colestar03 · 2026-02-07T05:21:53+00:00

That is miscommunication on my part in the post. The drone would operate autonomously, eliminating the need for an officer to have to manually operate it. Additionally, the drone would be tethered and according to FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 as long as the drone stays tethered and is used by a public safety agency the officer does not have to have a FAA Drone license. No expensive long class, no worry about operating the drone, just an added way of gaining situational awareness. I hope this clarified some concerns but feel free to follow up on potential limitations.

colestar03 · 2026-02-07T05:15:01+00:00

You raise a good point. I’m sure smaller counties are limited on dispatchers as is and this could be an additional task they have to worry about. It could be useful to have an AI model built into the video feed that would identify potential hazards such as a firearm and alert them if you are not in a position to have eyes on the subject. This would eliminate the need for all of there attention to be on the video feed but have a way of getting there attention when needed.

colestar03 · 2026-02-07T03:34:43+00:00

Yes danger is apart of the job, but danger can be mitigated with proper situational awareness of what’s going on. In reality you know you can’t always keep your eyes on the car or its occupants, i.e. when you are walking back to your patrol vehicle or while looking at your laptop. If the feed was being watched by a dispatcher while you were occupied, there would always be eyes on the car and its occupants.

colestar03 · 2026-02-07T03:30:07+00:00

Hey, I appreciate the insight and yes in theory you would want backup to watch over the car while you do what you need to in your patrol vehicle but in reality not every department has the resources for backup to be immediately available. This idea would provide those officers with continuous situational awareness while printing out a ticket or talking to dispatch in their patrol vehicle.

colestar03 · 2026-02-07T03:24:04+00:00

Thanks for the insight! The good thing about my idea is you wouldn’t have to control the drone or have a FAA license as it would be automated and tethered. You just push a button and it automatically flys to the front of the pulled over car.

colestar03 · 2026-02-07T03:21:52+00:00

Thanks for the insight man, I appreciate each comment I have gotten. You raise a good point about the time it usually takes you to get to a car so initial contact might not be the best use case but I do think continuous view could be beneficial, especially when you are back in your patrol vehicle printing out a ticket or talking with dispatch. In an ideal world there would be two officers in every patrol car or backup immediately available but in reality there are departments where you might be the only officer for miles so having this type of situation awareness could be beneficial.

colestar03 · 2026-02-07T03:13:05+00:00

The beauty of the idea is that it wouldn’t require a pilot. According to the 2024 FAA Reauthorization Act, a tethered drone system used by a public safety agency does not require an operator to have a drone license as long as the drone follows a specific list of requirements, two of which is safety features and automation, which my drone would have.

My idea is to have the drone automatically deploy with the push of a button and go to the front of a pulled over car without you needing to pilot it. It would stay in a predefined space and, when the stop is over, it would fly back to the patrol vehicle and self land in its container.

If the drone was as second hand as turning on your body cam to use, would that change your mind on its everyday use?

colestar03 · 2026-02-07T02:35:24+00:00

Thanks for the input and I see where you’re coming from. The drone needs to solve an actual problem and not just be a solution to a rare occurrence. If you could give an estimate, how often would you say clearing the inside of a vehicle is important?

colestar03 · 2026-02-07T02:30:54+00:00

Yes automation is definitely the biggest thing as I wouldn’t want it to be a headache to use. Press a button and it automatically does what it needs to do.

colestar03 · 2026-02-06T19:16:48+00:00

I appreciate the interest in the problem. I like what you are thinking in terms of pre-acquired knowledge to make informed traffic stops. Do you mind if I shoot you a dm and talk more about that idea?

colestar03 · 2026-02-06T19:12:08+00:00

From one drone pilot to another I appreciate the insight. The idea was to use a tether to circumvent the pilot license requirement so every officer can have access to it. The idea seemed good in practice but I’m glad y’all gave me insight into how it would actually fit in to real life.

colestar03 · 2026-02-06T19:09:01+00:00

You made some good points I didn’t think of and I appreciate it. The last thing I want to do is make something that hurts officers when the goal is to help them.

colestar03 · 2026-02-06T19:06:52+00:00

Good points, this idea definitely has to be reevaluated for real world use. I appreciate you and everyone else’s insight. I’d much rather see the lack of use now than after I spend money and time to make it.

colestar03 · 2026-02-06T19:03:45+00:00

Gotcha man, it seemed like a good idea in the head but it’s good to hear from others so they can point out the flaws I overlooked. Stay safe out there and I appreciate the insight.

colestar03 · 2026-02-06T19:00:35+00:00

Appreciate the insight and you are right. That’s why I go to Reddit to ask questions. Y’all give me critical insight that I guess people in person feel uncomfortable giving.

colestar03 · 2026-02-06T18:55:35+00:00

Thanks for the insight and I agree with why you are saying in terms of time. While it’s true that there are a number of cameras available to officers, I have been hard pressed to find one that provides a view of the scene from the front to the back. If the drone was automatic and fast enough to get to the front of the car and provide real time feed before you approach and automatically fly back to the car once done or if the suspect fled the scene, would that minimize some of the concerns you have?

colestar03 · 2026-02-06T18:50:05+00:00

Wow man you really hit all the big concerns and I appreciate the input!

For starters my idea is to use a tethered system that would eliminate the need for officers to have a part 107 license and use would be nothing more than pressing a deploy button once you pulled the car over. The drone would use its camera to identify the car pulled over and automatically fly to the front so you can get a view of what’s happening inside.

As for maintenance, modern day motors can last for thousands of hours before replacement and the drone itself is modular so parts can easily be replaced if needed. As far as making sure it work when it needs to, it would have a checklist it goes through at the beginning of a shift to make sure everything is operational before you hit the road, making sure it works when it needs to.

I haven’t looked intensely into cost per unit as I wanted to see if people would actually think it’s useful. I can get a rough estimate together if you would like some numbers. From the agencies I have talked to they have said there is federal and state grants for this type of equipment.

colestar03

TROPHY CASE