Mt. Vernon | Illinois’ Disaster Relief search and rescue team has a new tool on its side—an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, also known as a drone.
The drone, which can be used to expedite the search for a missing person, was purchased to be used by the Disaster Relief team of Salem South Baptist Association. The association’s team has a search and rescue unit with a certified drone pilot, Don Bigham, pastor of Baker Street Baptist Church in Walnut Hill.
Bigham attended 44 weeks of classroom training at Rend Lake College with extensive hands-on training, and has logged more than 90 flight hours apart from that specific training. He continues to adapt the drone to the needs of Disaster Relief teams.
Currently, the search and rescue team has 15-25 volunteers ready to respond when needed. They follow a national training program and have completed several sessions in the art of tracking lost and missing people.
Search and rescue team leaders have offered search and rescue training during the annual Disaster Relief training session at Lake Sallateeska Baptist Camp. For more information about upcoming trainings, go to IBSA.org/dr.