On the night of March 27, a UAS was used to help rescue a man who drove on to a bridge and found himself in the flooded James River at the Crighton Access Point in Missouri.

The Logan Rogersville Fire Department called on Pilot Tom Baird to provide aerial assistance for this mission. Within seven minutes, Baird got the UAS into the air, and helped crews find the man who needed help faster than if they were to search waterways by boat or on foot.

“He was just on his car and had probably made some bad choices but we were able to get eyes on the person who was on top of their vehicle without sending anybody into the water,” Baird says via KSPR 33.

“We knew how many people were on the vehicle. We were able to access their condition before we sent people out into the water.”

Baird explains why this technology is so effective by saying, “it speeds the recovery process probably ten times over because you know if there are resources that you don't have at the scene you can call those resources in.”

The UAS used for this mission is equipped with both a 4K camera and an infrared camera, allowing crews to see at night, and to see heat signatures “whether that be from a vehicle or someone who may be lost,” Baird says.

A certified UAS pilot for years, Baird initially flew UAS as a hobby, but he is now passionate about using this technology to help emergency crews in times of crisis. 

“The cool factor and flying the drone and seeing the live stream and seeing beautiful pictures, that's all fabulous,” Baird says. “But when you get called out to do a water rescue or a search and rescue mission for a child that is missing, that's what makes it all worth it.”  

​This was the first time that Baird flew his 'rescue' equipped UAS, and this was also reportedly the first time that a UAS has been used in a rescue effort in the Ozarks.

Baird is hoping to work with more local fire departments in the future.