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.
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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.
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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.
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