Search & Rescue Drones
Thermal and live video over gorges, rivers, woods and storm damage.
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Seven missions, one team to equip them.
Missing personsThermal search and grid patterns.
Natural disastersTornado to hurricane: damage, maps, survivors.
River & swiftwaterDrops, a line across, and overwatch.
OverwatchLive video to command while teams search.
County emergency managementOne shared picture for the EOC.
Heavy liftSupplies to crews in the mountains and backcountry.
Truck-mounted Dock 3Drive in, park, launch.
Missing person search, Summit County, Ohio
Body heat stands out.
Thermal reads people against cold ground, water and brush, day or night.
Grid patterns
Plan an area route in DJI Pilot 2 or FlightHub 2 and the aircraft flies the lanes on its own. Fly an expanding square by hand from the last known point. Overlap the lanes so nothing falls between them.
Thermal, day and night
Thermal works best at night and early morning, when the ground is cool. Water and thick canopy hide heat. Pair thermal with zoom to confirm what you find.
Speaker and spotlight
Talk to a subject from above and light the path in for ground crews. DJI sells a speaker and spotlight for the Matrice 4 Series (AS1 and AL1).
Pin the find
Mark the location on the map and share it with every team. The Zenmuse H30T laser rangefinder pins a subject’s coordinates, per DJI.
Flood response, Ohio
Tornado to hurricane.
Damage assessment, maps and survivor search in the first hours.
Damage assessment
Fly the damage path first. Live video shows command which roads are open, which structures are down and where crews can stage.
Maps and models
Turn one flight into a 2D map or 3D model of the area. Measure, mark and share it with county, state and utility partners.
Finding survivors
Thermal spots people in the open, on roofs and in water. It does not see through walls or rubble, so use it to direct ground teams.
Tornado, flood, hurricane, ice storm
The same kit covers every storm. Spare batteries and a power source keep it flying when the grid is down.
Missing person search, Summit County, Ohio
Over the water first.
For swiftwater, dive and technical rescue teams: supplies, flotation, a line across, and overwatch.
Drop flotation and supplies
A payload release or winch puts a life vest, throw bag, radio or med kit where a rescuer can’t reach yet. HERA drops life vests and med kits, per Real-time Robotics. The DJI FlyCart 30 winch has a 20 m cable, per DJI.
Get a line across
A drone with a release carries a light messenger line to the far bank. Crews pull the heavier rope across by hand. Match payload weight to the aircraft and your team’s procedures.
Overwatch downstream
Watch for strainers, debris and the victim from above. Command and the boat crew see the same live view.
Dive and technical rescue
Mark the last-seen point on the map before divers go in. Hold a hover over the scene while rope teams work the bank.
Eyes on every sector.
Live video to command through FlightHub 2 while ground teams search.
FlightHub 2 for command
Live video, aircraft positions and map markings from every drone in one browser view. Share the feed with command and partner agencies.
More than one location
Put a drone over each sector, the staging area and the river at once. Each pilot flies; command sees them all.
A record of the search
Flight tracks and media are saved, so you can show where you searched and when.
Built for the county EOC.
Specialty teams that serve every township: one shared picture for fire, police, SAR and EMA.
Mutual aid
Several agencies can work in one FlightHub 2 organization, so a county team and its partners share video and maps on the same call.
A full program
Aircraft, thermal and zoom sensors, docks, batteries and power, plus the FAA paperwork. FAA waivers & BVLOS.
Buying
Quotes, POs and grant paperwork. Agency purchasing.
DJI FlyCart 30. Photo © DJI
Supplies to the ridge.
Water, med kits, radios and rope to crews the trucks can’t reach.
DJI FlyCart 30
Up to 40 kg of cargo. Over 55 lb, so it needs an FAA path beyond Part 107.
Specs
- Payload: 30 kg with two batteries, 40 kg with one (cargo case).
- Winch option: 20 m cable.
- Range: 16 km with 30 kg, dual battery.
- Max takeoff weight: 95 kg. Aircraft: 65 kg with two batteries.
- IP55. −20 to 45 °C. Built-in parachute.
Per DJI, under DJI’s test conditions. Ohio Drone Repair is an authorized DJI Enterprise dealer.
Inspired Flight IF1200A
American-made heavy lift that stays under 55 lb. Flies under Part 107.
Specs
- Max payload: 8.6 kg (19 lb).
- Max takeoff weight: 24.9 kg (54.9 lb), so it stays under Part 107’s 55 lb limit.
- Up to 43 min flight time with no payload.
- Blue UAS and NDAA compliant. Payload rails take specialty tools such as a line dropper.
Per Inspired Flight. The IF1200A is Inspired Flight’s largest aircraft; it has no model over 55 lb. Ohio Drone Repair is an authorized dealer. Inspired Flight at ODR.
Photos: © DJI; © Inspired Flight Technologies.
Flying over 55 lb: the FAA paths
Part 107 stops at 55 lb. It covers drones under 55 lb at takeoff. The FlyCart 30 weighs about 143 lb with batteries, before cargo.
Government agencies: Public Aircraft Operation under a COA. A state, county, city, township or tribal agency that owns the aircraft and flies a government function, such as search and rescue, can fly it as a public aircraft. The agency certifies its own aircraft and pilots, and the COA sets the conditions. Start with a Public Declaration Letter, then request the COA through the FAA. The FAA says most COA requests get a response within 60 days of a complete application.
Civil operators: a Section 44807 exemption. Volunteer and nonprofit teams usually can’t fly as public aircraft. Over 55 lb, they petition the FAA for an exemption under 49 U.S.C. §44807 (14 CFR Part 11), then get a COA. The FAA reviews each case on risk.
We help agencies pick the path and build the package. The FAA decides. FAA waivers & BVLOS.
Sources (faa.gov): Public Aircraft Operations; AC 00-1.1B; COA; Section 44807; Over 55 lb FAQ. Not legal advice or an FAA authorization.
Vehicle-mounted Dock 3, Garfield Heights PD (Ohio)
A dock that drives in.
Park at the disaster zone and launch a Matrice 4TD from the truck bed.
What a truck install needs
The Dock 3 Vehicle-Mounted Gimbal Mount (sold separately), AC power and 4G.
Keep one aircraft up
Two docks can trade off so one aircraft is always in the air.
We install it
Ohio Drone Repair installs Dock 3 on roofs and trucks, sets up FlightHub 2 and services it in Akron. DJI Dock 3.
The details
Matrice 4TD
640 × 512 radiometric thermal with a 1280 × 1024 UHR mode. 112× hybrid zoom. Night Scene mode to ISO 409,600. NIR light with a 100 m reach. Per DJI.
Zenmuse H30T
1280 × 1024 radiometric thermal that reads to 600 °C (1,600 °C filtered). 34× optical zoom. Laser rangefinder to 3,000 m that pins a subject’s coordinates. For the Matrice 350 and 400. Per DJI.
Zenmuse H20N
Built for night: starlight-grade zoom and wide cameras plus two 640 × 512 thermal imagers. Rangefinder to 1,200 m. Per DJI.
Nonprofit SAR teams and waivers
Nonprofit SAR teams are usually not political subdivisions. The Part 107 PSO shielded waiver covers BVLOS within one statute mile, emergency call-outs only. FAA waivers & BVLOS.
Platforms we sell and support
Specs and compliance status are the manufacturers’ own; see each page for sources. NDAA & Blue UAS guide.
Plan your next search
Tell us your ground and your team. We’ll match the aircraft and sensors.
First Responder Owned · Veteran Led