SURREY Search and Rescue (SurSAR) is now using drones to search for missing people. The team of unpaid specialists is called out by Surrey Police to find missing children or the elderly who may get lost suffering with dementia.

Search and rescue remotely piloted aerial systems (SARRPAS) are capable of streaming real-time footage back to their command vehicle as well as recording video and still images in high definition.

The team is able to call upon the services of two DJI Phantom 3 models with a flight time of 24 minutes, before having to return to the operator to change batteries – although each drone has several batteries, so can be kept operational for a prolonged period of time if required.

They can even be fitted with a thermal imaging camera to locate the heat source of a missing person from up to 500 metres away.

The system has been on trial for the last six months and completed numerous capability and safety tests.

Simon Green, head of SARRPAS at Surrey Search & Rescue, said: “Drones offer many benefits that complement the National Police Air Service Helicopter. This technology offers a highly cost effective approach to missing person search and situational awareness during flooding or water rescues.

“Using SARRPAS to capture footage on difficult terrain and hard to reach areas such as rivers and woodland will allow our team to gain vital information quickly, safely and respond effectively at an incident.”

Civil Aviation (CAA) regulations state drone operators must pass a national CAA accredited qualification. SurSAR currently has two trained operators in place and there are plans to train further team members.

They are also looking to recruit more trained pilots to ensure the capability is on-call 24/7 like the rest of the team.

Mr Green added: “This technology still has limitations; the models we are using currently can’t fly in winds above 20mph, but having the option to put a drone in the air within minutes of arriving on scene could help save lives.”

SurSAR’s head of operations Seamus Kearns said: “We’re looking for sponsorship for the SARRPAS project. We’ve currently only got one thermal imaging camera but hope to fundraise to buy a second.

“The team is a registered charity that relies on donations to keep running.”