Olean Police Deploy Drone to Rescue Three Kayakers from Allegheny River

A thermal-equipped drone helped the Olean Police Department swiftly locate and rescue three kayakers in distress on the Allegheny River in upstate New York. The October 4, 2024 rescue highlights how drone technology is becoming an essential life-saving tool for police and fire departments across the country.

The Olean Police Department received a distress call just before 8 p.m. that evening reporting kayakers in trouble on the Allegheny River. Rather than relying solely on traditional search methods in the darkness, police and fire personnel quickly deployed a drone equipped with thermal imaging to search the area from above.

The thermal camera proved critical. Within minutes, the drone located two of the three kayakers in the Allegheny River. The technology allowed rescuers to spot the kayakers’ heat signatures even in the dark, dramatically reducing search time and likely preventing hypothermia or worse outcomes.

Search Extends to Wooded Area

With two kayakers accounted for in the water, one remained missing. Search teams shifted focus to the surrounding woods, eventually locating the third individual on land. After all three kayakers were found, a local resident stepped in to help, providing transportation for the lost kayaker and an officer back to emergency medical services.

The Olean Police Department shared details of the successful rescue operation on their Facebook page, highlighting the effectiveness of their drone program.

Thermal Imaging: The Game-Changer for Water Rescues

Thermal cameras have become the standard equipment for search and rescue drones, and for good reason. These sensors detect heat signatures, making it possible to locate people in darkness, dense vegetation, or water where visual identification would be nearly impossible.

In water rescue scenarios, thermal imaging offers several critical advantages. It can spot a person’s body heat against the cool water temperature, works effectively at night when many water emergencies occur, and covers large search areas quickly from an aerial perspective. Most importantly, it dramatically reduces response time when every second counts.

The Olean rescue joins a growing list of successful drone-assisted water rescues across the United States. In August 2024, the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina used thermal-equipped drones to locate a 22-year-old kayaker who had been separated from his companion during a severe thunderstorm on the Lumber River.

Small Departments, Big Impact

What makes the Olean rescue particularly significant is that it demonstrates how drone technology has become accessible to police departments of all sizes. Olean, a city of about 14,000 residents in Cattaraugus County, New York, shows that life-saving aerial technology is no longer limited to major metropolitan areas.

This democratization of drone technology mirrors a nationwide trend. Approximately 1,500 law enforcement agencies across the United States now operate drone programs, representing a 150% increase since 2018. Fire departments have followed suit, with over 500 departments nationwide incorporating drones into their emergency response operations.

The technology has proven particularly valuable along waterways. Just weeks after the Olean rescue, in August 2025, the Yulan Fire Department in New York used their newly acquired drone to locate two kayakers stranded on the Delaware River. That department’s drone even featured speakers, allowing rescuers to communicate instructions directly to the stranded kayakers.

Why Water Rescues Need Drones

Rivers present unique challenges for emergency responders. Fast currents can sweep victims downstream, darkness limits visibility, and ground-based searches often can’t access riverbanks or islands quickly enough. Drones equipped with thermal cameras solve multiple problems simultaneously.

In Montana, the Billings Fire Department used a DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise Advanced with infrared camera to rescue four individuals from the Yellowstone River in July 2023.

Fire Department Engineer Mark Solberg praised the technology, saying “It’s a force multiplier for us. We are sometimes resource-limited at big incidents. By using one of these drones, we’re able to get a better size-up of what’s going on.”

The Allegheny River, where the Olean rescue took place, flows 325 miles through Pennsylvania and New York. It was named Pennsylvania’s 2024 River of the Year, recognizing both its natural beauty and recreational importance. The river attracts kayakers, canoeists, and paddlers throughout the warmer months, making rapid emergency response capabilities essential for the communities along its banks.

DroneXL’s Take

The Olean Police Department’s successful rescue demonstrates exactly why we champion drone technology at DroneXL. This wasn’t a flashy tech demo or a theoretical use case—it was three real people in real danger who went home safe because first responders had the right tools.

What impresses us most is how quickly thermal-equipped drones have become standard equipment for water rescues, even in smaller departments. Five years ago, this kind of capability would have required expensive helicopters or lengthy ground searches. Today, a police department in a city of 14,000 can deploy sophisticated aerial thermal imaging within minutes of a distress call.

We’ve covered dozens of water rescue stories where drones made the difference between life and death. From a Florida fisherman using his personal drone to save a drowning girl by flying her a flotation device, to police locating a father and daughter stranded on a sunken ferry in California’s San Joaquin River, the pattern is clear: thermal cameras and rapid aerial deployment save lives in water emergencies.

The Allegheny River rescue also shows why the nationwide expansion of drone programs matters. Every fire department, every police department near water should have this capability. The technology is proven, increasingly affordable, and consistently effective. As we head into 2025, we hope more departments follow Olean’s example and invest in drone programs before the next emergency call comes in.

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