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Show Wed/Thurs/Fri, July 18-20, 2018 The Park Record B-7 Drones could be ‘game changer’ for mountain search and rescue crews Unmanned eye in the sky assists searchers SCOTT CONDON The Aspen Times ASPEN, Colo. – Mountain Rescue Aspen has a strict policy of not singling out members of the team, but it broke tradition recently to praise a rookie for playing a vital role in locating a lost hiker in the Rockeis on June 27. It was the first mission where MRA used a Matrice 210 drone fitted with an infrared camera and a second, powerful zoom camera. The drone was used at night to pinpoint where a woman was walking and to direct a ground team to her. “We would have never found this woman,” said Doug Paley, a rescue leader. MRA received the call at 6:20 p.m. on a Wednesday that the hiker was overdue. She was last seen at 2 p.m. Eighteen volunteers with MRA assembled at the site about 30 miles east of Basalt, Colorado in the Fryingpan Valley and launched a search at 7:50 p.m. “The one thing that challenges rescues is we never have enough information,” Paley said. In this case, they were searching for the proverbial needle in a haystack. The area where they believed the woman to be was thickly wooded with braided streams and marshy areas. It was pitch black. They launched the drone from Frying Pan Road at approximately 8:30 p.m., about the same time when some of the foot-pounders were directed to head back in and call off the search for the night. Bill Murphy, chief pilot for MRA who was at the controls that night, methodically searched one area of terrain and moved on to another. He began ANNA STONEHOUSE/THE ASPEN TIMES Bill Murphy (left), lead pilot for Mountain Rescue Aspen’s drone, shows how its infrared camera helps pick up heat sources. searching a third area when he thought he spotted the woman walking, but they had to make sure it wasn’t a team member. A rescue leader directed everyone in the field to stop walking. The subject viewed through the infrared camera was still walking. They knew they had their hiker. (Murphy also spotted numerous deer and elk from the heat they gave off.) The closest ground crew was a half-mile away, so Murphy was able to scope out the terrain and direct them to the best route to reach her. He also helped them navigate the terrain back to the road. “It was such a team effort,” Murphy said. The drone proved indispensable on its first mission and MRA sees huge potential. It could be deployed to pinpoint the location of a cliffed-out or lost hiker on a steep slope and to determine if ground or air crews would be needed for a rescue. It can provide ground teams with GPS coordinates to a lost or injured party. In the case of a climbing accident, the drone could be used to search for signs of life. In a rescue or retrieval, the drone could pick out a landing zone for a helicopter. It could even deliver supplies. It also will help with the vital role of making sure rescuers are safe over the course of a mission, said David Swersky, a longtime rescue leader. Jack Earnest, an MRA volunteer and member of the board of directors, said the infrared camera provides obvious advantages for nighttime searches. It picks up heat and converts it into an electronic signal, which produces a thermal image on a monitor. That could prove valuable because the drone could be used to locate a person during nighttime hours when a helicopter is restricted from flying for safety reasons. The drone could be used to get information about the condition and location of a person — and get rescuers in place quicker to render aid. “It could save a life,” Earnest said. The 30-times optical zoom will be an immense addition, as well. A drone hovering high over a mountain slope will be able to scan the area for a person, potentially eliminating the dangerous work of a helicopter making passes with spotters. This drone can hover at 200 feet over ground level. “With old technology you had to get pretty close,” Murphy said. The drone was used on a sec- ond mission July 5 to supplement the work of a ground crew searching for an overdue hiker returning from North Maroon Peak. “At approximately 6:30 (the evening of July 5) these teams working together made contact with the overdue hiker — who was discovered to have gone off route and was now ‘cliffed out,’” MRA said on its Facebook page. “The climber was uninjured and walked out under his own power with the guidance of MRA foot teams.” In a recent training exercise, Paley posed as a missing hiker. The drone located him and dropped a radio to put him in contact with rescuers. The drone, cameras, batteries and other accessories were purchased in March for $30,000. The money was raised completely through contributions. MRA has two pilots for the drone and three in training. “It’s like any other skill set — we need training, training, training,” Paley said. The rescue organization has four batteries for the drone, each capable of powering it for 30 minutes, with variances for conditions. Limited battery life means the key to its use will be ferrying it to a site close to an incident for launching. That will make it most efficient. There are programmed limits on how high off the ground the drone can fly and there are FAA regulations that must be followed. Alex Bruchetta, a deputy and public information officer in the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office, said the drone has the potential to be an important supplemental tool for the people in the field. Paley said ground crews will remain as important as ever, but the drone will evolve into another critical tool that helps them be more efficient with their time and energy. “The drone technology is a game changer,” Paley said. Some of the pets at Nuzzles & Co. looking for love These animals are available to be seen at the Nuzzles & Co. Adoption Center and Rescue Ranch. Our Adoption Center is open Monday through Friday from noon to 7 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. It is located in the Tanger Outlets in Kimball Junction. Our Rescue Ranch is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and closed Sunday. The Rescue Ranch is located at 6466 N. Highview Road in Peoa. 1990 28 2018 Committed To DEDICATED TO PARK CITY FOR 28 YEARS (435) 649-8322 theteam@parkcitytitle.com 1670 Bonanza Drive • Park Record Building Introducing... 435-645-7139 www.marketatparkcity.com Please look for our insert in today’s paper! LIZY MICHELLE JA N E L L E Deer Creek TITLE INSURANCE, INC. Alpine Murphy Danny Spruce Alpine is a 3 year old, medium sized mixed breed who is sweet but a little timid at first. He is great on leash, doesn’t jump, and is very affectionate. He is good with cats and other dogs with proper introduction. Murphy is almost 1.5 years old and would love an active household to get all his energy out. He is a medium sized shepherd mix that ignores cats and likes some dogs when he gets to know them. Danny is an adorable 9 month old mixed breed that is so sweet, good on leash, doesn’t jump, and already knows how to sit for a treat. He is good with cats and other dogs! He loves to play and go for walks. Spruce is a sweet older lab mix deserving of a slower-paced, loving home. At 10 years old, he is great on leash, doesn’t jump and is good with kids of any age. He is also good with cats and can be with more submissive dogs. Booboo Giorgio Armani Pu’a Ollie Booboo is a friendly and sweet 1 year old black and white Domestic Short Hair. One look at her gorgeous eyes in person and you’ll be hooked! She loves playing with toys and getting treats. Giorgio Armani is a handsome long-haired Siamese who is about 8 years old. He loves to talk and tell stories to his human and cat friends. Giorgio mostly loves human attention so visit him at the Adoption Center today! Pu’a is a beautiful brown shorthaired tabby that is 5 years old. She loves attention and is great with kids but would do best as the only pet in the home. Ollie is a sweet but shy 5 year old orange tabby. He takes his time to warm up to you but once he does, he’ll give you lots of love! He can be found hanging out with his cat friends in our community room at the Rescue Ranch. Wanted: Volunteers These Organizations are looking for volunteers. If you would like to include your group in this section, please email information to copyeditor@parkrecord.com. Please limit your entry to no more than 75 words The Hope Alliance The Hope Alliance is looking for volunteers to process eyeglasses for the vision program. These eyeglasses will be distributed to some of the poorest communities throughout Peru, Guatemala, and other impoverished areas, supporting multiple vision campaigns. Volunteers can work at The Hope Alliance’s Park City office, Monday through Saturday, during office hours. For more information, please call 435-333-3334 or email info@thehopealliance.org. Jeremy Ranch Elementary Jeremy Ranch Elementary School offers an excellent senior volunteer opportunity. Reading tutors are needed to mentor young readers throughout the school year. This is a tremendously rewarding experience and you will receive more than you give. No experience required. We will train you and provide a positive, fun atmosphere for your mentoring. We need you for this wonderful purpose filled work! Contact Barbara at 801-699-5158. Kimball Art Center The Kimball Art Center seeks dedicated volunteers in a variety of areas at its largest fundraiser of the year, the 47th Annual Park City Kimball Arts Festival on Historic Main Street Friday, Aug. 12 – Sunday, Aug. 14. Volunteers will have the chance to give back to the community while enjoying an environment of art, cuisine and music. For more information about available positions, responsibilities and benefits, please visit our website at ParkCityKimballArtsFestival.org/volunteer or contact volunteers@kimballartcenter.org. For a full list of volunteer opportunities, visit parkrecord.com/ volunteers Confidence to close! MICHELLE HUGGINS 4 35 . 6 59. 4 4 07 D M I C H E L L E H U G G I N S @ H OT M A I L .CO M |