09/24/2026
The landscape of Search and Rescue is changing.
Search and Rescue has always relied on a combination of trained personnel, aircraft, ground teams, K9s, and other resources. Today, drones are becoming an increasingly valuable part of that toolbox.
With the ability to quickly search large areas, operate in difficult terrain, and use thermal cameras to detect heat signatures, drones can give search teams another perspective that simply isn’t possible from the ground.
But there is one thing every person who may ever need to be found should understand:
If SAR is looking for you, make yourself visible from the sky.
If you ever become lost:
Get to an area where you can be seen.
If it is safe to do so, move toward an open area such as a clearing, field, or other location with good visibility from above. Avoid dense tree cover, thick brush, deep ravines, and other places where you may be difficult to see.
Remember that thermal cameras see heat, not people.
Clothing can significantly reduce the amount of heat visible to a thermal camera. If conditions allow, exposing some skin can make your thermal signature more apparent. Do not remove clothing if doing so could put you at risk of hypothermia, burns, injury, or exposure.
You can also make yourself easier to locate by creating additional safe heat sources.
A campfire, if appropriate and safely possible, can create a strong thermal signature. Other warm objects or heat sources may also provide additional points for a search team to identify.
One important point: stay in the same general area.
If you are moving around, make small movements rather than traveling long distances. In some situations, moving a few feet every few minutes can help expose your heat signature from different angles while keeping you in the same search area. This can potentially create multiple visible thermal signatures or “heat clones” that help an operator recognize that something is there.
And don’t forget the basics:
• Wear or display bright colors when possible.
• Use a flashlight at night.
• Wave clothing or another large object.
• Use a whistle to attract attention.
• Stay in an open, visible location whenever possible.
• If you create a fire or another heat source, do so only if it is safe and appropriate for the environment.
• Most importantly, stay put once you are in a safe location. Constantly traveling makes it much harder for search teams to predict where you will be.
Drones and thermal cameras are powerful SAR tools, but they are not magic. Trees, terrain, weather, distance, clothing, and even the position of the person can all affect what an operator sees.
If you are ever lost and believe a search may be underway:
Get visible.
Stay visible.
Stay in the area.
You may be giving the search team exactly what they need to find you.
Share this with your friends and family. You may never need this information yourself, but someone you love might.
