---
title: Hillsborough County Plans to Fly Whole Blood to Trauma Scenes by Drone
description: Hillsborough County Fire Rescue plans to fly whole blood to trauma scenes by drone from October, subject to a county commission vote on September 2.
author: Darie Nani (Editor-in-Chief)
updated: 2026-08-08T01:22:43.223Z
canonical: https://www.sovereignmagazine.com/article/hillsborough-county-whole-blood-drone-trauma
image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/whole-blood-delivery-drone-120299.webp
categories: Science & Tech
content_type: News
region: Florida
publication: Sovereign Magazine
schema_type: Article
---

Hillsborough County Fire Rescue is preparing to fly drones loaded with whole blood directly to car crashes and other scenes of severe bleeding, a capability that has not yet flown a single mission. Tampa General Hospital says the technology is scheduled to come online in October 2026, subject to approval from the [Hillsborough County Commission, which is set to take up the matter on September 2](https://www.tgh.org/news/tgh-press-releases/2026/august/tgh-prepares-to-deploy-first-in-the-nation-whole-blood-drone-delivery-program).

The plan brings together Tampa General, Hillsborough County Fire Rescue, the University of South Florida Health Morsani College of Medicine, the Florida Center for Emergency Medical Services, the blood bank OneBlood, and Archer First Response Systems, [the company supplying and maintaining the hardware](https://www.sovereignmagazine.com/article/atlas-motion-ai-drone-motor-design-series-a). Tampa General calls it the nation's first EMS-driven drone program for pre-hospital whole blood delivery.

## A 911 Call Would Trigger the Drone Request at the Same Moment

Under the plan, a 911 call reporting severe blood loss sends emergency responders to the scene as usual. What changes is what happens next: those responders would be able to call for a drone carrying whole blood at the same moment, rather than waiting until the patient reaches a hospital. On-scene paramedics would request the delivery from a mobile device, according to ArcherFRS. If the blood arrives first, responders could start a transfusion at the roadside.

## Two Fire Stations Would Cover a Combined 70 Square Miles

Tampa General says two drone systems, once approved, would cover a combined 70 square miles and reach a scene in under three minutes on average. The county would run the program out of two Hillsborough County Fire Rescue stations: Station 9, near Faulkenburg and Sabal Park, and Station 37 in Riverview. Those stations sit in the parts of the county with the highest volume of penetrating trauma and hemorrhagic injuries. The hospital says the intent is to expand capacity and coverage over time, using data gathered once the pilot area is live.

## The Fire Department Retains Operational Control and the Waiver Authority

ArcherFRS installs and maintains the ground control hubs at the fire stations and provides round-the-clock system monitoring, piloting support and airspace clearance, the company says. Hillsborough County Fire Rescue retains operational control and the Certificate of Waiver authority for the flights. ArcherFRS says it also supports the regulatory approval process, weather verification, system health checks and monthly on-site maintenance. Chief Todd Carnell, rescue division chief of Hillsborough County Fire Rescue, said the arrangement gives his crews "a true force multiplier" without requiring the department to stand up a new division to run it.

The company lists what it considers the harder parts of a whole blood operation: keeping a temperature-sensitive medical product stable in flight, clearing airspace and weather before each launch, holding readiness around the clock, reaching accessible drop points, keeping a remote pilot in the loop, and staying current on approvals and maintenance. ArcherFRS drones carry payloads of roughly 6.5 to 7 pounds, a category that also covers defibrillators, Narcan and EpiPens, within about 35 to 50 square miles per hub. The company has run 911-integrated deliveries of defibrillators and Narcan with Manatee County EMS and Tampa General before this program.

## Whole Blood Replaces What a Bleeding Patient Is Losing

Whole blood contains red cells, plasma and platelets together, unlike the separated components hospitals typically keep in their own blood banks. That combination lets a first responder replace, in a single transfusion, roughly what a trauma patient is losing at the scene.

> "The golden hour of trauma care has always started at the hospital door until now. This program puts whole blood directly into the hands of first responders before a patient ever reaches us."
> — Michele Moran, Senior Vice President for Emergency Services, Tampa General Hospital

Dr Jason Wilson, chief of emergency medicine at Tampa General and founding chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, said faster access to whole blood is "a major predictor of a patient's likelihood of survival" in traumas involving hemorrhage.

## Other Health Systems Are Flying Drones for Scheduled Deliveries

Hillsborough County's plan is not the only medical drone effort in the region, though the others are set up for routine runs rather than trauma response. Cleveland Clinic recently launched what it describes as the first long-term drone program for medication delivery, sending eligible prescriptions at no extra cost within five miles of its Beachwood, Ohio campus, with plans to add lab samples, specialized meals and medical supplies. BayCare Health System says it will start the Tampa Bay region's first healthcare drone delivery network in late 2027, initially carrying prescriptions and supplies to homes in Pinellas County before expanding into Hillsborough County. Both partner with the drone company Zipline and are designed around scheduled deliveries, not a response to a 911 call.

## FAQ

**Q: When would the Hillsborough County drones start flying?**
Not before the county commission votes. Tampa General says the technology is scheduled to come online in October 2026, and that timeline depends on approval from the Hillsborough County Commission, which is scheduled to consider the program on September 2.

**Q: What is whole blood, and how is it different from what hospitals normally use?**
Whole blood contains red cells, plasma and platelets together, rather than separated into components the way hospitals typically store blood. That lets a single transfusion replace more of what a trauma patient has lost.

**Q: Who actually flies the drone?**
ArcherFRS installs, monitors and maintains the systems around the clock, but Hillsborough County Fire Rescue retains operational control and the Certificate of Waiver authority that governs the flights.

**Q: What else can these drones carry?**
Across its programs, ArcherFRS has delivered defibrillators, Narcan and EpiPens as well as whole blood, with payloads up to roughly 6.5 to 7 pounds per flight.

**Q: Are other hospitals doing anything similar?**
Yes, for different purposes. Cleveland Clinic runs a drone program for routine prescription delivery near its Beachwood, Ohio campus, and BayCare Health System plans a similar network in the Tampa Bay area in late 2027. Both are set up for scheduled deliveries rather than emergency trauma response.