Fri, Aug 17, 2018
Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office Drone Equipped With Project Lifesaver Antenna
The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) Small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS) program received a 2018 Achievement Award as a model local government program from the Virginia Association of Counties (VACo).
The LCSO was the first in Virginia and the sixth agency in the United States to have a sUAS, commonly referred to as a drone, equipped with a Project Lifesaver antenna. The Project Lifesaver program is an electronic-based locating system for people with medical conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, autism, or other conditions, who have a tendency to wander from home and become lost. Project Lifesaver clients are equipped with a wristband transmitter that emits an automatic locating signal. If the client becomes lost, the specially trained deputies with the LCSO Search and Rescue Team will now use the sUAS, equipped with the Project Lifesaver payload, to help locate the client.
The LCSO sUAS is also enabled to carry a payload of infrared and high resolution cameras to assist in search and rescue operations. Members of the LCSO Search and Rescue Team who operate the sUAS are licensed pilots through the FAA.
The sUAS and the LCSO Search and Rescue Team received national attention in December 2017 after the drone was utilized to locate a missing 92-year-old hunter in a heavily wooded area in Shenandoah County. Seven members of the team responded to the scene and utilized thermal imagers and the sUAS to search the area. The missing hunter was located safe just 20 minutes after the sUAS was deployed.
The sUAS allows members of the LCSO Search and Rescue Team to search remote locations in the immediate area. Members of the agency who operate the sUAS are licensed pilots through the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Per the Code of Virginia, the sUAS may only be deployed by law enforcement without a warrant when operating for the purpose of search and rescue and related training.
(Source: Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office news release. Image from LCSO Facebook page)
More News
Omnidirectional Approach Lighting System ODALS consists of seven omnidirectional flashing lights located in the approach area of a nonprecision runway. Five lights are located on t>[...]
"Polaris Dawn, the first of the program’s three human spaceflight missions, is targeted to launch to orbit no earlier than summer 2024. During the five-day mission, the crew >[...]
Also: 1800th E-Jet, Uncle Sam Sues For Landing Gear, Embraer Ag Plane, Textron Parts A friend of the family reported that Lt. Col. (Ret.) Richard Glenn Rutan flew west on Friday, M>[...]
Also: Virgin Galactic, B-29 Doc to Allentown, Erickson Fire-Fighters Bought, FAA Reauthorization After dealing with a big letdown after the unexpected decision by Skyreach to disco>[...]
“Our aircrews are trained and capable of rapidly shifting from operational missions to humanitarian roles. We planned to demonstrate how we, and our BORSTAR partners, respond>[...]
ANN's Daily Aero-Term (05.05.24): Omnidirectional Approach Lighting System
See All