DJI Drone Helps Utah Sheriffs Rescue Injured Hiker in Snow Canyon State Park
We’ve been hearing more and more reports lately how drones are saving lifes by assisting in search & rescue situations across the globe.
Today we’re sharing dramatic video of a weekend rescue made easier courtesy of a DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise drone. Washington County Sheriff Search & Rescue attended the scene in Snow Canyon State Park in Utah on Sunday in response to a 65 year old hiker who became injured on top of a cliff formation called Island in the Sky.
In order to reach the hiker, who was injured in a fall, the team needed to rappell 400 feet down the cliff face. But to do that, they first needed to get their rope to the top of the mountain. Rescuers would normally use a line gun to shoot a light rope with a weighted canister on it to the target location. But they were still 100 feet too far away for their line gun to reach the rappelling site, located roughly 400 feet above the hiker.
The Search & Rescue team called in the Mavic 2 Enterprise drone to carry the messenger cord to the top of the mountain which they then used to haul up supplies and climbing ropes.
“The canister was light enough for the drone to handle, didn’t have too much wind and so we flew the drone all the way up to where the guys were literally right to their hand. Disconnected that, flew the drone back down.”
Sgt. Darrell Cashin, Washington County Sheriff’s Office
Salt Lake City news affiliate FOX13 reported “it’s the first time the Washington County Search and Rescue team used a drone this way, but likely won’t be the last.”
Just last month, rescuers used the Mavic 2 Enterprise equipped with a special spotlight (video below) to locate a lost hiker on the exact same mountain.
With the discovery of imaginative uses for drones, and increased adoption by public agencies, there are really no limits to how unmanned aerial vehicles can assist first responders and law enforcement to save lives and increase public safety.
The DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise Dual used in the dramatic Utah rescue is one DJI Global’s newest drones, capable of carrying an assortment of payloads to assist enterprise users with more advanced aerial needs. In addition to a mountable spotlight, the Mavic 2 Enterprise Dual also sports a thermal sensor and can also carry strobes and a speaker for broadcasting pre-recorded messages.
