Timmins SAR gets DJI Matrice 4TD, the Cadillac of drones

When search and rescue teams talk about gaining an advantage, they usually mean better boots, more radios, or maybe an extra truck. In Timmins, Ontario, the advantage now hums softly, lifts straight up, and sees heat through snow, trees, and darkness, as Timmins Press reports.

Timmins Porcupine Search and Rescue has received the DJI Matrice 4TD, a drone so capable it feels less like a gadget and more like a flying teammate that never gets tired.

This is not a weekend drone that films sunsets and confused seagulls. The Matrice 4T is purpose built for serious work, and it arrives with the kind of reputation that makes first responders nod approvingly before it even leaves the case.

Training day with a serious machine

On a bright winter morning outside Ross Beattie Secondary School, TPSAR volunteers gathered to meet their new aerial partner. Trainers from Global Medic guided the team through hands on instruction, showing how to fly, configure, and trust a drone designed for real emergencies, not casual curiosity.

The DJI Matrice 4TD comes equipped with infrared sensors and AI assisted detection, which means it can spot heat signatures from surprising details, including warmth escaping from the bottom of a person’s boots.

In a northern Ontario forest, where snow erases tracks and darkness arrives early, that capability is not just impressive, it is critical.

The drone can also be programmed to search for specific colors. If a missing child is reported wearing a red coat, the Matrice 4T can be told exactly that. Instead of scanning endless trees and shadows, the drone becomes a focused observer, filtering chaos into usable information.

Tim Sikkema, a TPSAR searcher, summed it up simply. Covering terrain on foot in northern Ontario is slow, exhausting, and time sensitive.

Being able to scan large areas from the air, identify tracks, and flag areas of interest changes everything. What once took hours can now take minutes, and minutes matter when someone is lost.

Alongside the Matrice 4TD, TPSAR also received a second drone used primarily for training. Together, the two drones represent a combined value of about fifteen thousand dollars. That investment came courtesy of Global Medic, a Canadian humanitarian aid and disaster response organization that understands technology saves lives when deployed correctly.

Built for cold, snow, and real emergencies

According to Global Medic’s Al McLaren, the Matrice 4Td has already proven itself across the province. It has flown in extreme cold, heavy snow, and full blizzard conditions, and it just keeps going. In other words, it behaves exactly how you want critical equipment to behave when conditions turn ugly.

Live video from the drone streams directly to the controller and is stored securely, making it useful not only for search operations but also for coordination, documentation, and post mission review. This is especially important when multiple agencies are involved.

Emergency Management Ontario field officer Kevin Kerkhof was present to officially deliver the equipment. The drones are part of a wider effort through Ontario Corps, a provincial initiative launched in 2024 to strengthen emergency response.

When a community declares an emergency and local teams are overwhelmed, Ontario Corps helps deploy trained volunteers and specialized tools where they are needed most.

Timmins was selected as one of five locations for drone distribution, based on geography and operational need. The others include Limerick, Renfrew, Mattawa, and Goderich. Northern communities face unique challenges, and aerial awareness can be the difference between a successful rescue and a long, uncertain search.

Emilie Kissler, a lead trainer with TPSAR and northeast director of the Ontario Search and Rescue Volunteer Association, explained that funding had always been the missing piece.

The desire to build a drone specialty team was there, but high end equipment like the Matrice 4TD is not cheap. That gap is now closed.

Kissler also pointed to past operations where drones proved essential, including an ice storm response in Orillia in 2025.

Drones mapped downed trees and power lines, sharing that data with utility crews to prioritize repairs and clear roads faster. It was not flashy work, but it restored power and safety when people needed it most.

A provincial asset with serious expectations

Although the drones live in Timmins, they are considered provincial assets. That means Global Medic can request Timmins based drone pilots for operations anywhere in Ontario. The Matrice 4TD is not just a local tool, it is part of a wider emergency response network.

The Ontario Provincial Police already operate drones of their own, and they welcome the addition. In a province this large, redundancy is not wasteful, it is smart planning. When agencies can support each other with compatible technology, response times shrink and outcomes improve.

For anyone thinking this looks like a fun hobby, there is a reality check. Flying the DJI Matrice 4T is not casual. It involves flight planning, paperwork, coordination, and a solid understanding of airspace rules. This is professional aviation, just unmanned.

As McLaren put it, the Matrice 4TD is the cream of the crop. In drone terms, it is the Cadillac. Heavy duty, reliable, and designed to perform when conditions are at their worst.

TPSAR continues to recruit volunteers, offering training twice a year. For those willing to put in the work, the reward is meaningful. Few things match the feeling of knowing that a piece of technology you operate helped bring someone home.

DroneXL’s Take

The DJI Matrice 4TD is exactly the kind of drone search and rescue teams should be flying. This is not about specs for bragging rights, it is about trust.

Trust that the drone will fly in snow, see through darkness, and deliver information that saves time and lives. Timmins Porcupine Search and Rescue now has one of the most capable tools available, and they will be using it the right way. Serious training, real missions, and a focus on outcomes. This is what drones were meant for.

Photo credit: Nicole Stoffman / The Daily Press, DJI.