MARINETTE COUNTY, Wis. (WBAY) – The Marinette County Sheriff’s Office said it used a drone to rescue rubber dinghy riders in need of assistance on the Peshtigo River on Sunday.
On Sunday evening at around 7:37 p.m., the Marinette County Emergency Management Center received a call reporting that three inflatable boats had capsized and been lost on the Peshtigo River in the town of Stephenson.
The sheriff’s office said one of the three dinghy riders got lost in a wooded area while trying to find his way out and was found by officers who were the first to arrive on the scene. The Town of Stephenson, Crivitz and Crivitz Rescue fire departments dispatched officers to the scene.
Before arriving on the scene, the Marinette County Sheriff’s Office activated the drone team and requested additional assistance from the City of Marinette drone operator in searching the area.
After arriving at the scene and deploying the drone, the sheriff’s office reported that the two remaining tubers were found after about six minutes of searching.
The operators assisted the fire department in searching for the tubers and brought the tubers to safety using the drone’s spotlight function.
“The Marinette County drone and spotlight were purchased with donations from Faith Lutheran Church in Marinette and we are grateful for their generosity in providing us with this equipment to assist in situations like this,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
The Marinette County Sheriff’s Office was assisted at the scene by the Village of Crivitz Fire Department, Town of Stephenson Fire Department, Crivitz EMS Department and Town of Marinette Police Department.
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