Iron County Sheriff Search and Rescue uses many different tools when we are searching for you in order to find you as quickly as possible. One method is through aerial surveillance methods like helicopters and drones. Although these tools make finding you easier, they do have their own set of challenges. Help us find you faster by using these tips to be more visible to drones.
Why Is It Important to Increase My Visibility?
Everything looks different from the air. Consider a person walking. If you are watching them from the ground, they take up a decent portion of your plane of vision. However, when looking at the person from above, rather than seeing their whole body, you see their head moving. Zoom out further, and finding that person has suddenly become a whole other challenge.
Another thing to consider is if we are looking for a vehicle that is stopped, that may not seem too difficult. But what if that vehicle is white, and there is snow? Or it is green and stopped by some vegetation? Or what if the vehicle is hidden by a tree? Our point is, aerial footage is helpful, but it isn’t perfect. However, there are ways you can help so we can get to you that much sooner. Here are some tips if you get lost to become more visible to our team.
How Do I Become More Visible to Drones?
Wear bright clothing. This will help you stand out from the surrounding landscape to increase your visibility to drones. Also, if you are in your car, place a bright tarp or piece of clothing on top of your car, or on a pole to allow it to be spotted easier.
Bring some spray paint with you (preferably a bright color like red or orange) and make a large X in an open area near to you. A large bright orange X is much easier to spot than a person with a drone.
Mark the area you are in. If you don’t have spray paint, use your foot to dig in the dirt, or lay large rocks or sticks in an X, O, or arrow pointing to where you are. This will help give the pilot something that will catch their eye easier.
Bring a strobe light, this can be particularly useful at night, but may be helpful during the day as well. Light can attract a pilot’s attention, and the unusual pattern can help us distinguish you from other people who may be in the area.
Try to stay in open fields as much as possible. Seeing you through trees is almost impossible with aerial devices. Stay away from trees, tall rocks, etc to be the most visible to drones.
Wave your arms around. The movement can catch the eye of a pilot or spotter and help us get to you. It will also increase your body temperature, and help with our thermal imaging capabilities if we are able to use them.
In Conclusion
Our drone pilots train to be able to locate you as quickly as possible. But anything you can do to help be more visible to drones will allow us to find you that much sooner. Do your part to make our part as easy as possible so we can get you home. Remember, we will always come to you.
For more information on our Drone Team, please visit their Specialty Team Page.