Terry Smith is the Training Program Manager for DRONERESPONDERS. A public safety veteran with more than 30 years of experience as a firefighter, paramedic, hazmat technician, explosives specialist, and certified UAS pilot, he retired in December 2025 from the Department of Defense at Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point and Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune.
Throughout his career, Terry delivered critical interventions in high-risk environments, responding to hundreds of calls annually while providing medical care, property protection, and mission support. He has led incident response teams, developed compliant paramedic programs, and taught multi-disciplinary curriculum to public safety students.
With over eight years as a UAS pilot, Terry has pioneered drone integration for command, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), real-time intelligence, and search-and-rescue operations in hazardous and obstructed airspace. He has trained UAS pilots, deployed systems for C5ISR, disaster assessment, scene mapping, and post-incident analysis, served as Air Resource Officer, coordinated Counter-UAS defenses, authored FAA airspace documents, and applied Lean Six Sigma principles to optimize operations. At the local level, his drone applications have strengthened incident response, photogrammetry, and inter-agency coordination for greater efficiency and safety.
Drawing on frontline expertise and numerous awards—including Department of the Army commendations and Marine Corps recognition—Terry is dedicated to advancing national collaboration in UAS training, best practices, and adoption across public safety agencies. His work focuses on building resilient networks that enhance community safety.
Connect with Terry at [email protected].