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.
The Drone came in handy in a different function today. We needed a messenger cord up to the top of the mountain so we could use it to haul up supplies and ropes. Our line gun was 100 ft short of making it up the mountain. So, we used the drone to haul the messenger line to the top of the mountain.
Posted by Washington County Sheriff Search and Rescue on Sunday, January 19, 2020
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.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“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 [/perfectpullquote]
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.
Rescue 126 – Scene Lighting using Drone
Rescue #126 – Hikers got off trail and become lost and ledged up (this time on the other side of the county). SAR was called out to assist the hikers off the mountain. The volunteers deployed and were able to locate the hikers, obtain access to their locations, and then lead them off the mountain. The volunteers on the ground do all of the hard work. But, once again, the drones came in handy to provide scene lighting to hopefully make the job a bit easier.
Posted by Washington County Sheriff Search and Rescue on Tuesday, December 24, 2019
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.
