Drones used for search and rescue are growing in popularity among public safety units. Quick deployment, lower costs, better image resolution, enhanced situational awareness, and payload diversity are advantages over alternative techniques—all help discover subjects more rapidly and increase survival rates.
If you haven’t used drones for search and rescue (SAR) operations before, you might be interested in what they comprise. This article describes the advantages and a guide for conducting a search and rescue using drone surveillance capabilities.
How Drones are Helping Save Lives in SAR Operations
The ideal drone and payloads can augment current efforts and increase capabilities, albeit they should be used as something other than tried-and-true conventional means.
Drones for security surveillance can quickly provide teams with a wealth of information, perhaps making the difference between life and death. The following are the main advantages of using drone surveillance for search and rescue operations:
#1. Drones Reach More Areas than Ground Team
Drone surveillance capabilities include airspeeds between 10 and 60 mph, allowing them to cover more ground faster than human search teams. From a bird’s eye perspective, they can also see more areas of a search grid.
Drones used for search and rescue deploy in two minutes. Hence, before ground personnel can set out on the trail or a chopper can leave the airport, the drone can take off and initiate the operations.
#2. Cost-effective Compared to Manned Aircraft
Piloting and maintaining human-crewed airplanes and helicopters costs hundreds of dollars per hour. On the other hand, drones require a small upfront expenditure and have relatively minimal maintenance costs.
The batteries in drones used for search and rescue can last hundreds of cycles for years. As a result, your search and rescue drone will have a long lifespan and incur less expense for every operation.
#3. Improved Drone Security than Manned Assets
SAR personnel risk injury when they accompany helicopter flights or travel through rugged terrain on foot. Drones launch from a secure location and scan from a great height. The team observes a video feed from the drone camera while remaining securely on the ground. Teams take the safest path to the subject after they have located them.
#4. Improved Search Area Visibility
Drones for search and rescue enable a larger aerial view of the search region. A subject may be hidden from a rescuer on foot by a tree or bush.
However, a drone offers more visibility, increasing the likelihood of locating the subject. Most drone cameras have a 45-degree field of view, which gives them a wide-angle view of a scene.
#5. Adaptable to New Technology and Payloads
Technology is constantly evolving. Search, and rescue teams can use new payloads and procedures as they become available to save more lives. UAV designs of today are frequently quite flexible. As a result, drones for security surveillance and SARs quickly adopt new technologies and payloads when necessary.
Guidelines for Using Drones in Search and Rescue
Drones can assist search and rescue operations in a variety of ways. Drones first offer a birds-eye perspective of a scene. With an attached camera, teams scan large areas.
For SAR teams, thermal (infrared) payloads are also incredibly helpful. These sensors pick up on minute temperature changes in the surrounding area. As a result, someone who might be difficult to see otherwise might be found.
Finally, optional payloads can be valuable for particular tasks. Examples include dropping mechanisms, communication relays, and loudhailers.
User’s Guide for Drones in Search and Rescue Operations
Planning & Organizing Phase
Before the team enters the field responding to a call, they must develop a strategy. Dispatch might know the person’s last known location and destination. Here are a few things you should do to prepare your drone before you head out into the field.
● Check the battery’s condition and level, and recharge it if necessary.
● Download the maps of the search areas into the missions planning software.
There are a few different ways you might carry out your flight. You can fly manually to start. Second, a mission can be prepared and carried out by the drone. You have a few options if you wish to organize your task beforehand:
Flight Planning
● Surveying Patterns
You can mark the boundaries of an area using a survey pattern, and the drone will follow those lines until it has completely covered the region. If you want to thoroughly explore a place before going on, you may use a 60–70% overlap to ensure that nothing was missed during the initial run.
● Planning Waypoints
Waypoint planning is a fantastic choice if you wish to follow a feature like a path, waterway, or road. Define waypoints for the drone to fly to after setting the takeoff location.
● Corridor Scan
Between a survey pattern and waypoint planning, this is in the middle. A corridor is given waypoints, and the drone follows those to fly to one end and then returns along the same path. In case you missed the topic the first time, you, therefore, have some overlap.
On-Site Mission & Implementation
● Assign a Visual Observer
Designating a crew member as a visual observer is a great practice. They are supposed to act as an extra set of eyes. They assist the pilot with spotting potential dangers like birds, electricity lines, terrain changes, or shifting environmental conditions.
The act of piloting the drone might occasionally consume the pilot. A visual observer will aid in ensuring mission safety. They might need help to recognize new dangers quickly.
● Conduct Flight Inspections
After preparing your drone for flight:
- Do systems and pre-flight checks.
- Verify that there are no obstructions in the vicinity, such as powerlines or birds.
- Request that everyone clears a space for takeoff.
● Takeoff and Fly
Teams prepare to fly their mission after takeoff. Either manually control the mission or activate a pre-programmed autonomous flight. Climb to a safe altitude of roughly 10 meters above the ground if you have decided to employ a pre-planned flight. You should select brake mode before starting your assignment.
To Sum Up
Drones are a practical device that SARs can use to locate and help their subjects more rapidly and at a lower cost. These aerial devices’ agility and versatility make it possible for an emergency response to incorporate new technologies quickly. All of these elements contribute to better results and lifesaving.
Search and rescue operations are conducted in various hazardous environments, including mountain ranges, choppy oceans, and even dangerous or conflict-ridden urban regions.
Drone technology can be very beneficial during natural disasters like hurricanes or earthquakes. The future lies in facilitating these missions with a drone SAR.
