Trumbull County Drone Team Saves Two Lives in One Night

The Trumbull County Drone Team in Ohio recently demonstrated the life-saving potential of DJI Drone Technology by locating two missing people in separate incidents on the same night.

Dual Rescues Showcase Drone Capabilities

In an unprecedented event, the drone team successfully found two missing individuals in different townships during a single evening. Corrections Officer Yale Watkins, one of the team’s drone pilots, played a crucial role in reuniting the missing persons with their families.

“To have two finds in one night is fantastic,” Watkins said. “Nothing is more gratifying to find somebody, especially if they’re gonna be in dire need of something you know, if they’re gonna be trapped out there overnight in the cold and we locate them, it’s a pretty good feeling.”

Infrared Technology Proves Vital

The team’s first mission involved searching for an elderly woman in her 80s who had been missing for several hours. Using advanced infrared technology, they located her near the back of a corn field by a tree line in Newton Township.

Sheriff Paul Monroe praised the team’s quick response, saying, “Our drone team was Johnny on the spot.”

Second Rescue Highlights Versatility

Later that night, the team was called upon again to find a 13-year-old boy with autism. The DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise drone’s heat signature detection capabilities proved invaluable once more, locating the boy under a tarp at a construction site in Champion.

“That has never happened before where we had two deployments almost back to back,” Monroe noted, emphasizing the unusual nature of the night’s events.

More Than Just Search and Rescue

The Trumbull County Drone Team, a collaboration between the Sheriff’s Office and the County Emergency Management Agency, has proven its worth beyond Search and Rescue operations. Sheriff Monroe highlighted the team’s versatility:

“We will have some of our pilots go with their personnel and help them recover some video of bridges that they’re inspecting and our drone can get to those spots very quickly, very safely.”

DroneXL’s Take

These successful rescues in Trumbull County underscore the growing importance of drones in first responder operations. As we’ve seen in recent articles on first responders using drones, this technology is becoming an indispensable tool for law enforcement and emergency services.

The ability to quickly and safely search large areas, especially in challenging conditions or terrain, makes drones a game-changer in time-sensitive situations. As drone technology continues to advance, we can expect to see even more innovative applications in public safety and emergency response.

The success of the Trumbull County drone team also underscores the need for more affordable, capable, and user-friendly drones equipped with thermal cameras. Putting more these tools in the hands of First Responders, fire departments, and Police agencies will undoubtedly save lives and enhance the safety of emergency personnel.

This news story also highlights the potential consequences of an outright ban on DJI drones, especially given the current inability of the US Drone Industry to replace them with comparable, capable, affordable, safe, readily available, and easy-to-operate alternatives. Such a ban will certainly cost lives.

This is why DroneXL advocates for the implementation of security standards for drones, which would make the country of origin irrelevant.

In our view, it’s a serious misstep for companies like Skydio and Brinc Drones to lobby for pushing DJI out of the US market without being able to adequately replace DJI’s offerings. The focus should be on developing competitive alternatives and ensuring that first responders have access to the best tools available, regardless of their origin.

READ MORE: The DJI Ban Effort: Facts vs. Opinion.

What are your thoughts on the use of drones in search and rescue operations? Let us know in the comments below.

Also, be sure to visit the Drone Advocacy Alliance website and make sure your voice is heard!

Photos courtesy of the Trumbull County drone team / WBKN