Thermal Camera Drone Finds Lost Kayaker Within Minutes

On Tuesday night, a thermal camera drone assisted rescuers in locating a lost kayaker adrift on the Deerfield River in Massachusetts.

Police got a 911 call from a guy who said he had lost communication with another kayaker on the river and had drifted downstream, unable to exit. According to Deerfield Fire Chief Darren Melnik, the missing kayaker was a man in his 30s.

According to a Facebook post by the Greenfield Fire Department, Melnik instantly asked a drone unit from the adjacent Greenfield Fire Department to assist in the search for the missing kayaker.

“Within two minutes of launching our drone with a thermal camera, we were able to locate what appeared to be an empty kayak,” the Greenfield Fire Department wrote. Members of the Deerfield Fire Department found the empty kayak and began their search for the lost kayaker along the shore.

It only took a few minutes for the drone’s thermal camera to locate the individual who had made their way to shore…