Press Release
The Lake Monticello Rescue Squad was able to acquire a $7,000 drone “for a significantly reduced price” from Crutchfield in Charlottesville to support its search and rescue program, said Rescue Squad Chief Eddie Shifflett.
The new drone, a DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise Drone with 4K thermal image capability, offers much higher picture resolution and the ability to switch to infrared imaging to help in missing person searches, finding water sources and providing information from above on fires, Shifflett said.
“This is far more advanced than the drones most people have,” Shifflett said. Particularly rare, and far more expensive is adding infrared capability to a drone, he said. “This is going to be a big improvement in our ability to locate lost or missing people in Fluvanna County and the surrounding area,” Shifflett said.
Rescue Squad drone operators will need “lots of practice” to get the most benefit out of the new acquisition, Shifflett said. And both the drone and the operator has to be registered with the FAA.
