UAV becomes a new type of water search and rescue equipment

[ThomasInDaAir]

On September 4th, the Nanning City Water Search and Rescue Center did a 2019 water emergency new equipment demonstration and drill, used drones to locate the position of the "drowning victims", then the rescue team implemented the rescue process.

The drill simulated a collision between two ships, causing four people to fall into the water and a ship to sink. The water search and rescue center duty room immediately started the emergency action after receiving the alarm, and coordinated the rescue personnel in the search and rescue base, to carry new equipment for the rescue. The rescue team controlled the drone to quickly locate the rescue target on the water surface. The water rescue robot dragged the drowning victims back to the shore, rescued the three drowning victims with the help of the multi-function life-saving rod. After that, the rescue team continued to use the sweeping sonar and underwater robots to conduct underwater searches for wrecks and missing person.
It is reported that the equipment used in the drill is the most advanced water search and rescue equipment in Nanning, including the Thyea Z40 HD zoom camera developed by MMC, which can let you see a clear face of a person in nearly 1 km, and Thyea TL thermal imaging camera which can fast and efficiently locate the target. Besides water rescue, the MMC UAV has been used in the primeval forest for emergency rescue.

A total of 2 sea patrol ships, 3 rubber boats, and 2 MMC X85 drones were dispatched for this drill. The drill procedure is divided into 4 subjects: information collection at site, water rescue for drowning victims, underwater search for underwater victims and underwater salvage. Each subject of the drill is carried out in an orderly manner. The participants used drones to monitor, and sweeping sonar, the new water rescue equipment such as underwater robots, successfully completed the rescue drill. It not only demonstrated the style of the new equipment, but also fully tested the familiarity of the personnel’s search and rescue capabilities by using these equipments.

 

[Stacy R. Maxwell]

When settlements or infrastructure are affected by the debris flow event, communication with emergency services is very important. Be sure to make contact with the leading operational units of the civil protection and disaster relief and inform them about the planned data acquisition. The priority of UAV data acquisition may be ranked rather low if only documentation of the event is carried out, and no real-time data is delivered that would be necessary for search and rescue. Therefore, be prepared to have only a short timeframe for your UAV flight(s), which may be communicated at very short notice. Disastrous debris flow events, in particular, attract a large volume of air traffic (e.g., manned helicopters shuttling members of civil protection agencies, the press, and politicians). Keep the UAV as close as possible and always be prepared to abort data collection safely at short notice.