FREMONT, Ohio — The drone you see in the skies of Sandusky County may not be just an amateur pilot. It could be your local sheriff's office.
"In 2017, we identified there was a gap, and that we could provide better public safety services in our community," Sandusky County EMA's Lisa Kuelling said.
The Sandusky County Emergency Management Agency created the "Drone Response Team" with the goal to help in response to any type of emergency; including water rescues, house fires or car crashes.
Drones used by the EMA can carry life preservers, first aid kits or rope to drag people to safety.
"Basically putting a drone anywhere that can save a life," Bellevue Police Sgt. Joshua Pickens said. "That's the number one priority. If we can put a drone somewhere that puts someone else in less danger, or help assist to get someone out of danger, is the number one goal. You want drones for good."
The team started off with nine members from different county departments but quickly expanded to work with other municipalities. First responders say other departments outside of Sandusky County are considering using drones too.
"Numerous departments in the area are looking to start a team or have already started a team. Just getting in the training to get everything rolling," Pickens said.
Helping train first responders to use drones is Bruce Chambers. He's been piloting drones for nearly 20 years. Chambers' company, The Drone Store, sells equipment to local agencies and trains employees on how to fly.
Chambers says drones should be standard in every emergency response department.
"These are tools that save lives," Chambers said. "They ought to be in every police department that's out there."
Despite already being popular and widely used, the team says drones are scratching the surface of their potential.
"My overall arching for the very long-term effect would be that a drone operator is deployed on the majority of incidents in Sandusky County, only because of what it can bring to the table," Kuelling said.