Drones help the water-rescuers work at Lake Balaton
Starting Friday, three drones will assist the work of the Hungarian Professional Rescue Service on Lake Balaton. Photo: MTI/Zoltán Máthé
Identifier: D_MTZ20190621005
At the Tihany press conference on the subject, Sándor Bagyó, the president of the professional service, said that Lake Balaton is the safest lake in Europe, which is the result of great cooperation. By putting the "drone fleet" into operation, this situation can be sustained, he added.
He said that the drones named Alpha and Bravo help in reconnaissance and research, while the transport drone named Charlie carries an automatically inflated rescue device and helps those in trouble by throwing it into the water.
Sándor Bagyó said that this year their 20-year professional service gives work to two thousand people in one season, last year they carried out rescues in more than 3,600 cases, while their rescue boats were needed a hundred times.
The drones are provided by Magyar Telekom to the professional service. Béla Szabó, the company's brand and public communications director, indicated that the summer period will be a test run. If the devices work, additional ones are expected to be put into operation, he added.
The drones can fly into the middle of the lake at a speed of up to 70 kilometers per hour, so the time to rescue can be significantly shortened. The search drones have a normal and a thermal camera, the latter of which makes them excellent for use at dusk and at night, and through the devices the lifeguards can also communicate with those in trouble and give them instructions until the rescue boat arrives - it was explained at the press conference.
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