Drones for B.C. rescuers will respect privacy concerns, government says

Search and rescue workers in some B.C. communities are getting a new tool to help them in their operations.

Yesterday, the provincial government endorsed a one-year pilot project that will put unmanned aerial vehicles - better known as drones - in the hands of search and rescue workers in Kamloops and Coquitlam.

And the rescue workers are pretty pumped.

Alan Hobler of Kamloops Search and Rescue says his team has been practicing with the drones, but is “very excited to apply this technology to real searches.”

Hobler said drones will allow crews to search certain terrain that may have been difficult, or even impossible, in the past with traditional ground searchers.

That means faster searches that pose less risk to volunteers.

“Searcher safety is paramount for us and now we have a new tool that we can use in places or circumstances that may pose a risk to our searchers,” he said.

Announcing the pilot program, Minister of State for Emergency Preparedness Naomi Yamamoto acknowledged that more and more search and rescue and public safety agencies are starting to use drones “to help ensure the safety and security of residents while keeping emergency personnel safe in their jobs.”

She said Emergency Management BC will make sure the drones are used in a way that “takes into account privacy considerations, as well as ensure that they would be operating within Transport Canada regulations.”

This year, the provincial government gave the British Columbia Search and Rescue Association $10 million to dole out to local groups for new equipment and training. That money adds to the $6.3 million provincial budget for search and rescue operations.