WATCH: Drone used to help rescue kids stranded in dangerous rapids

TORONTO – We’ve become used to seeing various events through the eyes (or rather, camera lens) of unmanned aerial drones.

Whether it’s the Moncton shooting, the snowstorm in Buffalo, or just your run-of-the-mill Canadian weather, drone footage offers a unique perspective among aerial photography.

But during the recent rescue of two stranded children in Maine, a drone was no longer simply sitting on the sidelines. Instead, firefighters used it to assist in the rescue, even as the dramatic rescue was recorded on its camera.

It happened this past Tuesday in Mechanic Falls, Maine, after two boys riding an inner tube down the Little Androscoggin River became stranded after their tube overturned amidst fast-moving rapids.

“This was a tricky type of rescue when you have folks stuck in middle of river with this type of current,” Fire Chief Mark Bosse told WGME News 13 in Maine.

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As the two boys huddled together on a rock in the middle of the powerful rapids, firefighters noticed only one was wearing a life jacket.

“We wanted to make sure we got a life jacket on that second child so that if they did fall in the water we could catch them downstream,” said Auburn Fire Chief Frank Roma.

Firefighters decided to use Roma’s unmanned drone to fly a tag line out to the two boys. Once they had grabbed the line, they were able to pull a second flotation device out to the rock.

At that point, the firefighters secured a stronger line out to the boys that was connected to their rescue craft, and began slowly making their way to the two stranded children.

Meanwhile, Roma’s drone continued to hover overhead, recording the rescue.

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The two children were rescued just after 5:30 p.m. One is reported to be a teenager while the other is a young boy. Both their ages and names are being withheld for privacy reasons.

And while the active use of a drone in this rescue makes it somewhat unique, firefighters are hoping the public takes notice of a much simpler piece of technology.

“First and foremost, anytime you’re playing or operating around water, have a life jacket on,” said Roma.

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