UK lifeboat crew tests drones as search and rescue helpers

Drones are becoming an important part of the emergency services. Police are using them to search for missing people, while fire departments test them as a tool to survey dangerous sites. Until now, however, we haven’t seen or heard about them being used by the coastguard. That all changes today, however, as a lifeboat service in Norfolk, England, has started using them in open water. As the BBC reports, they’re equipped with cameras that can live-stream footage to monitors inside the boat. They could prove useful in choppy conditions when the crew can’t see above the waves.