The Summers County Sheriff’s Department is looking forward to having eyes in the sky as they protect and serve the region. Sheriff Justin Faris shares his enthusiasm:
“We’re excited. We’re going to have two drones. We’re already going to purchase one smaller drone. That’s for interior uses for the school – active shooter situations… We’re then going to have a larger drone. Its primary use is going to be search and rescue operations. It has thermal capabilities; it will have the ability to be able to drop a life preserver if somebody is drowning in the river.”
Sheriff Faris says that aerial capabilities could mean more lives saved, especially around the lakes and rivers of Summers County.
“It’s such a tool for this county. We’re a very, very rural county with a ton of waterways. We’ve worked over 20 search and rescue operations just since I’ve been sheriff… Unfortunately, we had a drowning this week where the fire department used their drone. And then if we would have had a drone also, that would have enhanced our capabilities for that. Now, I don’t know if it would have made a difference by any means, but just having those additional resources are huge whenever something is going on like this…”
Ferris says the department will be proud to share their maiden flight as soon as the drone program gets off the ground.
“…So I’m hoping to be able to raise funding. Our delegate, Roy Cooper, already brought us a check, but if there’s a business, or somebody like that, that would reach out and want to donate, we would love to do that. Whenever we actually get the drone. We’re going to have like a maiden flight and invite some of the delegates out. And if there’s somebody else that donates, we’ll invite them out to the maiden flight of it just to kind of demonstrate its capabilities.”
