Using Drone Technology in Search and Rescue

Drones have become a staple in the Emergency Management playbook, allowing for improved functionality in the response, recovery, mitigation, and preparedness phases of a community’s safety.

In this article, we look to provide a basic orientation on the use of drones in community emergency management, particularly in search and rescue operations. We also look to express the value of drone operators to Search and Rescue professionals, Incident Commanders, and Emergency Managers.

What is Emergency Management?

Emergency Management is the process used to respond to large scale emergencies. The incident command system works well for limited emergencies- a house fire, a medical emergency at a building, a police matter with a crime.  But when the emergency is more complex- a tornado, a flood, a terrorist incident, the emergency management process allows for an all-hazards approach.  This process, evolving out of the Civil Defense System, has been a hallmark of public safety operations since the 1990’s.

4 Phases of Emergency Management

There are 4 phases of the emergency management process- preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation. 

Preparedness includes the planning to respond to large emergencies. Exercises, drills, orientations, and annual plan reviews are all great ways to prepare first responders and supplemental personnel to respond when a major crisis occurs.

The response phase occurs happens as the event unfolds, with the appropriate agencies responding.  Usually, an expanding incident command tree unfolds, with potentially multiple agencies from multiple jurisdictions assisting.  An emergency operations center (EOC) usually opens to coordinate the response among multiple agencies, and sometimes multiple jurisdictions. 

Recovery occurs as the initial damaging and life-threatening event is over, and a community now focuses on recovering normal operations.  This may include longer term assistance to repair buildings or infrastructure, social services for a residential population, and assistance to governmental and business entities as they focus on restoration of services.

The mitigation phase as normal operations have been restored, and now a community focuses on how to prevent the damages that occurred.  This might mean changes in building codes, additional back up power generation, and stronger systems to support the social net for residents.

Command and Coordination in Disasters

The Incident Commander is responsible for directing the response to the emergency.  Operational activities, advanced planning and resource coordination, logistics, and financial matters all fall under the Incident Command set of duties.

When incidents become complex, several Incident commanders may be necessary to handle all aspects of the scenario. A unified command or joint command center maybe opened to handle an expanded set of emergencies. 

Larger disasters, like the Maui Wildfire of 2024, the Indonesian Tsunami of 2019, the Haitian earthquake of 2010, and Hurricane Katrina of 2005, require a level of coordination give the widespread impacts to property and life. Emergency Operation Centers act as information hubs and repositories for information sharing.  Better decisions can be made within these centers and more efficient planning can occur. Especially when search and rescue activities are involved.

Search and Rescue

Search and Rescue is the organized effort to find lost people and animals when disasters strike.  This may include finding lost persons in the wilderness, in collapsed buildings, in flooded areas, in devastated urban areas, or in a body of water like a river, lake, or sea. Such efforts maybe handled by teams of people combing through an area.  Sometimes search dogs are used to pick up the scent of a potential trapped or lost person.

When the search team finds the missing, then rescue personnel move in to extricate the person safely and administer any medical treatment necessary to sustain life.  The rescue team may include structural engineers to deal with collapsed building materials, confined space rescue experts, emergency medical technicians, underwater dive teams, mountain rescue experts, and air lift personnel.

Drone Usage in Search and Rescue.

The usage of drones in search and rescue activities has aided in the safety and security of rescue teams and created a new level of efficiency and effectiveness in performing rescues.  Incident commanders now have greater ability to survey remote areas, find and map safe routes for rescuers, and monitor for additional hazards that may inhibit SAR activities.

Emergency managers also have a tool that allows for widespread damage assessment, aerial photography of roads and bridges, and a safe way to look at downed power lines in an emergency. This can also help direct volunteer organizations aiding in disasters (VOADs) to the places with most need. `    

Drones can be used to also find clues for missing persons- articles of clothing, lost vehicles, and lost items that can point search teams in the right direction.

Case Study #1- Van Buren 3-year-old found with a Drone Search.

A 3-year-old boy wandered away from his home in Van Buren County, MI in March of 2024. 

He slipped through an open window and walked away from his home, wearing only a diaper.  

The average high temperature for Van Buren County, MI in March is 44 degrees. Finding the child was of the essence, as temperatures were just above freezing at that time.

First responders to the child’s home called for search and rescue assistance. A Van Buren County K-9 search unit, and a pair of drone teams were sent to assist.

About an hour later, the K-9 unit found a child’s footprint.  The drones operated by South Haven Area Emergency Services narrowed the search area by the aerial reconnaissance.   The drone team spotted the child near a body of water; the K-9 unit found the child on the ground as he wandered away from the waterbody.

The boy was safely returned to his home with minor injuries to his health.

Case Study #2- May 2019 Plane Crash in Lake Michigan

From Schuster Field in Ontonagon, MI, a small airplane took off May 12, 2019, from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula heading nearly 600 miles south to Custer Airport in Monroe, MI. just above the Michigan/Ohio border.  It was flying at an altitude of 7,000 feet in the air.

The plane reported engine trouble to the tower and was directed to a nearby airport in Frankfort.  The plane dropped off the radar at 7:50 p.m. while over Lake Michigan, about 5 miles west of Frankfort.

Searchers found the plane in the lake ten days later using an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) with sonar.

The Michigan State Police Marine Services Team (MSP/MST) located the missing Beech Craft Bonanza 35 with tail number N1561Z in about 515 feet of water. The UAV rover was equipped with a video camera to confirm the tail number and other identifiers of the aircraft.   

The UAV was next used to search inside the plane for the two passengers.  The passengers were not in the cockpit and the door to the plane was open with no damage to it. Search officials presumed that the two occupants had purposefully exited the plane.

A search was conducted using the plane as a starting point to locate the passengers. Using water currents to project the plane’s drift, a search area was established.

The UAV was able to locate a body of one of the passengers, which was confirmed by personal identification on the passenger. The Michigan DNR and Northwestern Michigan College provided equipment to recover the body from 523 feet of water and southeast of the aircraft. The water temperature varied between 39 degrees and 42 degrees.

The retrieval marked the Michigan State Police’s Marine Services Team’s (MSP/MST) deepest successful body recovery to that date.

The second body was never recovered.

The use of aerial and underwater drones in the above case studies demonstrate the increase efficiency in search, rescue, and recovery efforts. The expanding universe of drones will aid more incident commanders and emergency managers in the direction and support of emergencies in the future.

The Future

The use of drones in emergencies spreading to our youth. The Drone Apprenticeship Program (DAP) has trained over 800 students from ages 10-24 in Detroit, Michigan since 2017. The program provides the foundation and tools to operate a drone for in-demand employment opportunities, including construction, medical, cinematography, mapping, emergency preparedness, and business. Students learn how to safely operate a drone within the regulations related to drone use.

Darryl Bingham is the founder of DAP and directs a staff of trained professionals. Since the program's inception, he is proud to have 100 percent of the students earn the TRUST Recreational Drone Safety Certificate.

The program has also funded training for the FAA 107 UAV License and helped start two student-led businesses.

The program is exposing students on how drones are used in mapping and emergency preparedness and will focus on search techniques in the Fall of 2024.

“We hope to develop young people with the skills to aid in search and rescue work, just like what is needed in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene”, said Bingham. 

Students will learn search pattern techniques and coordination with incident command.  They will also learn mapping techniques associated with search and rescue work.

“The kids are excited to learn the new modules,” said Bingham “especially as they see the practical use of drones in emergency work.”