DEERFIELD — With the help of drone technology, first responders located an injured kayaker on the banks of the Deerfield River near Upper Road on Tuesday night.
The Deerfield Fire District and Deerfield Police Department were contacted at around 9 p.m. by a caller who said he had lost voice contact with another kayaker who had floated down the river. Deerfield Fire Chief Darren Melnik requested the Greenfield drone unit to respond and assist with the search.
Using a thermal camera on a drone, first responders were able to locate an empty kayak. After a couple more minutes of searching using the camera, they found the individual on the riverbank.
“Having access to drone technology saves time and prevents injuries,” explained Greenfield Drone Program Coordinator William Kimball. “We are able to use drones and thermal cameras to locate people instead of putting boots to the ground searching an area.”
Greenfield’s drone unit then used what3words — an app that converts coordinates into three descriptive words helpful to people on the ground — to guide first responders to the lost person.
“They were able to make voice contact within minutes with the lost kayaker, and determined that he was injured,” reads a Facebook post by the Greenfield Fire Department.
The Deerfield Fire District then used an inflatable boat to extricate the injured kayaker to South County EMS.
“Due to the shallow waters, the boat was manually pushed up and down river by the firefighters,” the post continues.
The kayaker was transported to the hospital with minor injuries.
Bella Levavi can be reached at 413-930-4579 or blevavi@recorder.com.