(Emmetsburg)– A drone owned by Dickinson County Emergency Management is being credited in saving the lives of two hunters who were reported missing this past Thursday evening on Five Island Lake in Palo Alto county.
Bill Maas, Chairman of the Dickinson County Emergency Management Commission, tells KUOO news Dickinson County Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Ehret got a call from Palo Alto county authorities requesting the assistance of the drone which is equipped with an infrared camera…
“So they activated the drone and they didn’t have a good idea on Five Island Lake where they were at, for sure where they were, but the wives or somebody thought that they were probably on the north half of the lake, which if you know the lake area there it’s a good couple of miles long in that area. Sent the drone up, and started following the shoreline and lo and behold I guess these gentlemen were both in their 70’s, and lo and behold all of a sudden here this boat was and it kind of had motor problems and was blown into the weeds, like bull rushes and things along the edge and were out of sight unless you happened to see them from above. The motor had quit and they didn’t have cell phones along and they would have been spending the night out there and, you know, the nights we’ve been having are kind of cool. So it’s very possible to say that they, by helping Palo Alto county, we may have even assisted in saving a couple of lives and things.”
Maas says while the cost of the infrared equipment was more than the drone itself, it was definitely worth it…
“I believe the infrared camera itself without the drone was right at $12,500. Several different groups went ahead and donated money, I know that most of the protective associations donated a thousand dollars each, the lake protective associations, because they figured that’s where we probably had the most capability or the most chance of needing it in the dark and stuff.”
Dickinson County Emergency Management purchased the drone and infrared equipment about two years ago.
