A drone played an important part in the river rescue of two boys who were marooned on a rock in the middle of the Androscoggin River in Mechanic Falls, Maine, after they were knocked off their water tube on Tuesday in a rescue that expanded the possibilities for drone usage.
Auburn Fire Chief Frank Roma kept a DJI Phantom 3 drone for personal use in aerial photography, and he just happened to have it with him when he responded to the rescue call around
3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, according to WMTW.
When Roma arrived at the scene, he found that the 12-year-old boy was wearing a life jacket, whereas the 18-year-old boy did not have one. Thinking quickly, Roma attached a haul line to his drone before flying it out to the middle of the river towards the older boy.
“The drone just happened to be in my vehicle and it was one of those times where the application
fit the moment,” Roma said, according to ABC News. “Our first priority was getting the older boy a life jacket in case he slipped into the water.”
After Roma lowered the drone to the older boy’s level so he could untie the line, Roma sent him a life jacket as the drone took a video of the entire rescue.
The dramatic rescue prompted other fire departments to call Roma and
inquire about the drone, according to Q13 Fox.
“I think we’ve only begun to scratch the surface for what their full capabilities can be in the emergencies field,” Roma said of drones, according to Q13 Fox. “I was able to see exactly what the drone was seeing. I was able to direct it to where it needed to be.”
Local firefighters then rescued both boys from their precarious perch on the rock with no injuries sustained.
“The firefighters in the water did a tremendous job,” Roma said, according to ABC News. “They were the real heroes.”
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