Lifeguards Use Drones to Rescue Teens

Lifeguards Use Drones to Rescue Teens

(ABC North Coast) A new rescue drone was barely out of the box before it was put to use in a real rescue at Lennox Head Beach in Australia. This was the world’s first.

Two teenage boys were seen in distress about a kilometre north of the patrol area at Lennox Head, on the New South Wales far north coast. The 17-year-old and 15-year-old boys were about 700 metres offshore in a swell of about 3 metres. A member of the public reported seeing the boys, and within two minutes the new drone had located the boys and dropped an inflatable flotation device to them.

The boys clung to the rescue pod and were able to swim to shore.

Surf Life Saving NSW said the boys were exhausted but unharmed.

The rescue drones were only unveiled at Lennox Head this morning, as part of a collaboration between Surf Life Saving NSW and the State Government.

The Government announced last month it would invest $430,000 in drone technology as part of a trial on the NSW north coast.

Deputy Premier John Barilaro said today that investment had paid off when the technology was used in the dramatic rescue.

“This is a world-first rescue,” he said.

“Never before has a drone fitted with a flotation device been used to rescue swimmers like this.”