Keep Colorado Wild Pass helps fund search and rescue drone conference
DENVER (KDVR) — Douglas County Search and Rescue partnered with Colorado Parks and Wildlife for the first-ever Rocky Mountain SAR UAS Conference, held May 31 at the Highlands Ranch Law Enforcement Training Facility.
The event focused on search and rescue teams' usage of unmanned aerial systems, aka drones, during operations. The SAR team can use the tool to search large areas quickly, get an overhead look at a situation, scan the area using thermal cameras and communicate remotely with the people once located with a drone.
Parker police use drone to find child who didn't return from playground
It's something the Douglas County team is familiar with: In March, the Douglas County SAR was called to Roxborough State Park for two teenagers who got lost near Carpenter Peak. The team used drones to search for the teens and quickly located them after seeing a flashing light. Using the drone's technology, the team was able to have a family member communicate with the teenagers.
'From their standpoint, here they are lost in the wilderness, you know, you could hear dad coming over the speaker with some positive words of encouragement. I think it really uplifted their spirits,' drone lead Darren Keralla of DCSAR told FOX31's Kasia Kerridge. 'We can't receive audio, but we typically ask them if you're OK, give me a thumbs up, and they'll respond with a thumbs up. We can interpret a lot from their motions and what they're communicating back to us physically.'
The conference drew together over 60 drone professionals from over 25 agencies in Colorado, where they shared best practices and lessons learned.
'This event was an outstanding success,' said Brent Lounsbury, Emergency Management Coordinator for CPW, in a release. 'Douglas County SAR identified the need for an event where SAR UAS professionals could collaborate and learn from each other; it clearly hit the mark. We're really looking forward to this event coming around again next year, and it being an even larger success.'
Colorado's search and rescue teams are all staffed by volunteers, and CPW's Backcountry SAR program helps funnel funds from sales of the Keep Colorado Wild Pass, as well as hunting and fishing licenses, to search and rescue teams around the state. The pass costs $29 for Colorado residents and can be added to your vehicle registration.
CPW says clean boats make for happy lakes
CPW noted that modern drones have high-tech cameras and sensors that can provide inaccessible views for ground crews. The agency also uses drones for wildlife and land management.
'This conference allowed us to get everyone in a room, make contacts and share best practices. I particularly enjoyed the question and answer sessions after each presentation, where critical discussions and learning were exchanged peer-to-peer,' said Dave Miska, president of Douglas County SAR, in CPW's release.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
2 hours ago
- Associated Press
Small plane crashes into ocean off San Diego with 6 people aboard
Authorities are investigating after a small plane crashed into the ocean 5 miles (8 kilometers) off the coast near San Diego with six people aboard. U.S. Coast Guard officials said a debris field was discovered near Point Loma Sunday afternoon and began searching for the wreckage in an area where the water is about 200 feet (61 meters) deep. The Federal Aviation Administration said the twin-engine Cessna 414 crashed around 12:30 p.m. Sunday not long after it took off. Flight tracking website, showed that the plane was bound for Phoenix. The National Transportation Safety Board and FAA confirmed they are investigating the crash.
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
6 missing at sea after small plane crashes off San Diego
A search was underway Sunday night for six missing people after a small plane crashed in the ocean off of San Diego that afternoon, authorities said. The U.S. Coast Guard received a report at 12:45 p.m. that a twin-engine Cessna 414 had crashed around three miles west of Point Loma. A debris field was located off of the coast in an area where the water was estimated to be 200 feet deep, according to the Coast Guard. Multiple agencies worked together to scour the area for any survivors Sunday afternoon and evening. This included air and marine Coast Guard crews, air and marine Customs & Border Protection crews, San Diego Harbor Police boat crews and San Diego Lifeguard crews. No one had been found as of 11:30 p.m., Coast Guard Petty Officer Ryan Graves told The Times. The Coast Guard Cutter Sea Otter crew will remain on scene overnight to continue the search, and helicopter crews were set to rejoin the effort at first light, he said. Local resident Tyson Wislofsky witnessed the crash while surfing near Point Loma on Sunday afternoon. "I saw him come down at angle. He wasn't flying straight to the ground," Wislofsky told NBC4 News. "The next time he came out of the clouds, he went straight into the water. Full throttle." The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash. Information on the the identity of those missing was not immediately available. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
Keep Colorado Wild Pass helps fund search and rescue drone conference
DENVER (KDVR) — Douglas County Search and Rescue partnered with Colorado Parks and Wildlife for the first-ever Rocky Mountain SAR UAS Conference, held May 31 at the Highlands Ranch Law Enforcement Training Facility. The event focused on search and rescue teams' usage of unmanned aerial systems, aka drones, during operations. The SAR team can use the tool to search large areas quickly, get an overhead look at a situation, scan the area using thermal cameras and communicate remotely with the people once located with a drone. Parker police use drone to find child who didn't return from playground It's something the Douglas County team is familiar with: In March, the Douglas County SAR was called to Roxborough State Park for two teenagers who got lost near Carpenter Peak. The team used drones to search for the teens and quickly located them after seeing a flashing light. Using the drone's technology, the team was able to have a family member communicate with the teenagers. 'From their standpoint, here they are lost in the wilderness, you know, you could hear dad coming over the speaker with some positive words of encouragement. I think it really uplifted their spirits,' drone lead Darren Keralla of DCSAR told FOX31's Kasia Kerridge. 'We can't receive audio, but we typically ask them if you're OK, give me a thumbs up, and they'll respond with a thumbs up. We can interpret a lot from their motions and what they're communicating back to us physically.' The conference drew together over 60 drone professionals from over 25 agencies in Colorado, where they shared best practices and lessons learned. 'This event was an outstanding success,' said Brent Lounsbury, Emergency Management Coordinator for CPW, in a release. 'Douglas County SAR identified the need for an event where SAR UAS professionals could collaborate and learn from each other; it clearly hit the mark. We're really looking forward to this event coming around again next year, and it being an even larger success.' Colorado's search and rescue teams are all staffed by volunteers, and CPW's Backcountry SAR program helps funnel funds from sales of the Keep Colorado Wild Pass, as well as hunting and fishing licenses, to search and rescue teams around the state. The pass costs $29 for Colorado residents and can be added to your vehicle registration. CPW says clean boats make for happy lakes CPW noted that modern drones have high-tech cameras and sensors that can provide inaccessible views for ground crews. The agency also uses drones for wildlife and land management. 'This conference allowed us to get everyone in a room, make contacts and share best practices. I particularly enjoyed the question and answer sessions after each presentation, where critical discussions and learning were exchanged peer-to-peer,' said Dave Miska, president of Douglas County SAR, in CPW's release. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
