Rescue teams in Malibu use drone technology to find elderly man with dementia
Drone technology helped find an elderly man with dementia Monday, after he went to get the mail from his Malibu home's mailbox, but did not return.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department search and rescue team, Malibu SAR, was called around 4:30 p.m. to help find the 78-year-old. The temperature was 48 degrees and falling.
"If it wasn't for the drone, we definitely would not have been able to find him," Deputy Oscar Peraza said. He was one of the two drone pilots searching for the man.
The agency said several drones with infrared heat-seeking technology were deployed and the pilot noticed "a significant heat signature over the side of the roadway in thick brush," Malibu Search and Rescue wrote on X.
"Within 20 minutes of getting the drone up in the sky, we were able to find a really big hot spot ... his wife was really happy we found him," Peraza said. The man was suffering from the cold, was confused and unable to walk. Rescuers wrapped him in a blanket, where he was carried to an ambulance and paramedics for treatment.
The sheriff's department says they average dozens of calls every year for missing people in Malibu and these drones with infrared technology are the future of search and rescue.
"It does give us an advantage because what deputies would typically on the ground cover in one hour, we can fly over in a couple minutes," Peraza said.
The Lost Hills and West Hollywood stations are part of a new six-month drone pilot program. Sgt. Brandon Painter said since acquiring the drones a few months ago, the Lost Hills station has run about 20 missions with the drones. He said if the program is considered a success, more drones may be used at other county stations.
