Why drones favored by Utah search and rescue crews could be grounded for good
Aug 8, 2024, 10:22 PM | Updated: 10:39 pm
OGDEN — When hikers lose their way in steep terrain and call for help, Weber County search and rescue sends the fastest member of its search team – not a mountaineer on foot, but a drone flying high.
Equipped with zoom and infrared cameras, these devices often do most of the searching now, reaching stranded hikers faster than a chopper and at a lower cost per flight, according to leaders of Weber County’s search and rescue operations.
The devices have helped locate people in distress – and even a dog – in a matter of minutes, then map out a safe course for crews to descend.
“It is an absolute game changer,” said Kyle Nordfors, drone team coordinator for Weber County’s search and rescue crews. “We’re able to have the latest technology at our disposal, which enables us to find people faster and get to them quicker, and therefore save lives.”
Kyle Nordfors with Weber County’s search and rescue team says American-made drones are less capable and more expensive than ones made by DJI in China. (KSL TV)
Weber County Sheriff’s Lt. Mark Horton agrees.
“We probably run two –maybe three – hours on a call, where before we’d run maybe four or five,” said Horton, who oversees the county’s search and rescue operations.
The added efficiency has been helpful as demand has gone up, Horton said. In 2017, the team was called out on rescues 11 times. That number grew to 42 in 2020, then to 48 last year – averaging almost one a week, according to numbers provided by the sheriff’s office.
So, what’s not to like about the technology? For some members of Congress, it’s that one popular brand is made by a Chinese company, DJI. Out of concern for national security, the House advanced a bill in June that would ban these drones.
Critics of DJI worry the Chinese government could access personal information from an app controlling the drones. But DJI says their systems are secure. In a statement to KSL, the company said customers don’t have to use their software to fly their drones or even connect to the internet at all.
“There is simply no evidence shared with us indicating that DJI drones send sensitive data to any unauthorized parties,” the company’s statement reads.
If the proposal passes and becomes law, it will prohibit the use of new models of DJI’s drones from that point on – something that has Nordfors concerned. He said the company’s models are his favorite for a reason.
“When it comes to U.S.-made drones, the technology is not there, and the production capability simply isn’t there, either,” Nordfors said.
Weber County’s team first began using drones in 2018. Horton said it now has two dedicated to their rescue operations: One DJI model that cost about $23,500 — bought through fundraising and donations — and another bought by the county sheriff’s office for about $13,600, Horton said.
The KSL Investigators spoke with other counties with busy search and rescue teams. Washington, Kane, and Grand counties told KSL they also rely on these drones, meaning they’re at work across Utah’s wilderness – at least for now.
Contributing: Emiley Dewey, KSL TV
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