BRADENTON, Fla. - Manatee County is expanding the service hours and coverage area of its 911 integrated drone delivery system.

The backstory:

The first-of-its-kind program, which launched last year , uses drones to deliver life-saving aid to patients experiencing certain medical emergencies while they wait for an ambulance to arrive.

The coverage area for the emergency drone program is expanding more than 10-fold, from a 3.5 to a 35 square mile area. Service will also expand to seven days a week, from 6 a.m. To 10 p.m.

If someone in the service area calls 911 for cardiac arrest or opioid overdose, a drone automatically delivers an automated external defibrillator (A-E-D) for heart attacks or NARCAN Nasal Spray for overdoses.

Equipment arrives in under three minutes on average, an

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