Last month, two young paddle boarders found themselves stranded at sea after strong winds and currents pushed them 600 feet off shore. Thanks to the deployment of drones, rescuers kept an eye on them the entire time and safely loaded them onto a rescue boat within minutes.
The Oak Island Fire Department in North Carolina is one of the few fire departments in the country that uses drone technology for marine rescues. Firefighter-turned-drone pilot Sean Barry demonstrated the drone on a windy day, explaining its capabilities.
“This drone can fly in all types of weather and environments,” Barry said.
It is equipped with a camera that can switch modes (including infrared to locate people in distress) and allows responders to communicate instructions through a speaker. It can also be equipped with life support equipment.
This device is activated by a CO2 cartridge when exposed to water. When activated, it expands into a long tube approximately 26 inches long, giving struggling swimmers something to hold on to.
In the actual rescue, a drone located the swimmer in distress after a 911 call from the shore. Two buoys were released, giving the swimmer buoyancy until help arrived.
Like many coastal areas, Oak Island’s population increases from approximately 10,000 to 50,000 during the summer tourist season. Riptides can occur at any time, but are difficult to detect at the surface.
Rip currents kill about 100 people on U.S. coasts every year. More than 80% of beach rescues involve rip current, If you are caught, rescuers advise you not to panic or try to fight, but to float or swim parallel to the shoreline to escape the current.
Oak Island Fire Chief Lee Price said many people underestimate the power of rip currents.
“People think, ‘Oh, I’m a good swimmer. I’m going to go out now,’ and then they get into trouble,” Price said.
For Price, the benefits of drones are not only in faster response times, but also in keeping rescuers safe. Through cameras and speakers, you can determine if someone is suffering.
Price said many people may not realize that.
“As with anything that advances in technology, it takes a little while for everyone to catch up and get used to it,” Price said.
In a demonstration, Barry showed how a drone could deliver safety ropes to swimmers while rescue workers prepared to pull them to shore.
“The speed and accuracy that this gives you…quick deployment, speed, precision and overall safety,” Price said. “We not only ensure the safety of the victim, but also the safety of our responders.”