ORONO, Maine - A search and rescue organization based in Orono has received permission from the Federal Aviation Administration to use unmanned aircraft systems -- often called drones.
"This is just a vast improvement: lower level, better resolution, and all weather," says Downeast Emergency Medicine Institute Director Richard Bowie .
Bowie says the FAA's permission will make DEEMI's searches for missing people safer, easier and more effective. He says the not-for-profit organization conducts about 25 search and rescue operations per year, all over New England.
Bowie says drones can fly lower, which means they can see better, and that they're quieter, which may mean better communication with lost or injured people. Drones can also live stream images, instead of having to land before sending data.
And although many have expressed concerns about drones' impact on privacy, Bowie says that's really not an issue here.
"The idea behind this is not to be trying to look into people's back yards," he says. "We're trying to let people know we're there, and we're trying to accomplish a very serious mission - trying to find someone who's missing or lost - and just bear with us, we'll get the job done and get out of the way."
Bowie says the drones will be used alongside traditional search and rescue techniques like dogs and interviews.
