REGINA - When Ryan Beston first started his company, Queen City Drone, he never imagined helping out first responders to save lives.
Over the past few years, Beston has been training and providing drones to first responders, which assists them in different ways.
"[Drones can] help save lives by delivering either medication or delivering a life jacket or [even a] life preserver in a water situation," said Beston.
He also pointed out the efficiency drones offer. "It takes time to unload the boat [and] get everybody ready. However, in under five minutes, you could have a drone out there in the middle of searching for a person."
Some drone models also offer thermal imaging, which can make people stand out in the water or a forest with their heat signature, said Beston.
Along with search and rescue, drones can offer safety to firefighters. With drones, first responders can see if there’s "still hot spots in there to make sure that the fire has been put out, and then they can also keep an eye on all of their guys and girls to make sure they're safe from an aerial perspective."
One organization planning to use drones to help with their search and rescue efforts is the Amphibious Response Safety Unit ONE (ARSU1).
"So, we have actually just started up our Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) program," said John Maczko, ARSU1 director of operations.
ARSU1 operates out of its rescue base & training centre situated in the Echo Valley Provincial Park, which covers a vast area, including four main lakes: Echo, Pasqua, Mission and Katepwa.
Maczko explained using drones will help get eyes in the sky faster. ARSU1 also plans on using drones to deliver equipment to someone who is in trouble.
"So through sophisticated drones, such as the one that we are now working with, we are able to take a life-saving device such as a self-inflating tube. And these are devices that inflate when they hit the water. This provides a flotation device for a victim out on the water."
Maczko later mentioned supplying people needing urgent medical equipment via drones like an automated external defibrillator (AED) so they can administer treatment to themselves from the device, explaining how to do an automated defibrillation.
Last year alone, ARSU1 received around 90 intervention calls between the four lakes. Interventions the organization handles range from first aid calls to providing any line of assistance, said Maczko.
"[Around 40] of those calls were actually first aid related," he said. Additionally, Between the 90 calls, "there were over half a dozen times where the loss of life would have happened in minutes had we not gotten there early enough."
In 2024, Maczko noted there were zero reported injuries and fatalities on the lakes. Since ARSU1 is conducting quicker interventions to save lives, they're "saving other first responder resources as well as 911 calls," he mentioned. "[Also], the people [and] the taxpayers of Saskatchewan [save] money because if you intervene early enough, you don't need to send out fire rescue [and the police]."
Currently, ARSU1 is looking for funding to purchase drones through Queen City Drone.
Maczko also emphasized the importance of the partnership with Beston.
"We [are] relying on the experience and the professionalism of Ryan [Beston] to provide us with the right types and models because we realize there's so many out there [with different functions]."
"It's such an honour to work with them," said Beston. He mentioned how much it would mean to one day hear multiple lives were saved because of the training and drones he provides first responders with.
"That's all I want. I just [want to] know that I'm doing good for the community and using these skills to help others."
