It won’t just be birds, helicopters, and seaplanes trailing banners up above East Hampton Village beaches this summer — add drones to the list.
Over the winter, both Drew Smith, head lifeguard, and Lee Bertrand, assistant beach manager, received Federal Aviation Administration licenses to operate a drone. With those licenses they plan to use a drone this summer, working with the village police, “to better safeguard the East End waters,” Mr. Smith told the East Hampton Village Board last Friday.
In years past, he said, the lifeguards had relied on the police drone when they needed rescue assistance. A police drone aided guards when a man at an unprotected beach swam straight out and didn’t return. They found the man, Mr. Smith said, but having a drone at Main Beach and under the control of lifeguards will give them “an ability to have the drone onsite a little quicker.”
“In the old days, we needed a Suffolk County police helicopter to find a missing swimmer,” Mayor Jerry Larsen commented. “With this, in 30 seconds you have the thing in the air. Timing is super important. Great idea.”
“The drone is equipped with infrared, so it can help us spot slightly submerged bodies as well,” said Mr. Smith.
“With a swimmer in the dark, the only way you find them is with a heat sensor,” said Mayor Larsen. “This is dynamite.”
The drone will allow lifeguards to monitor rip currents as they arise, and to take photos to help educate beachgoers. When bait balls are present, drones will help lifeguards spot possible sharks and whales, and help “monitor the movement of marine life.”
The bird’s-eye view afforded by a drone will also help identify erosion hotspots, and “in the long run help us understand better the movement of the beaches,” said Mr. Smith. During popular Main Beach events, the first of which will be on Tuesday, the drone will help with safety and documentation.
The drone can fly in small-level gale force winds, and can operate as far as the eye can see. When questioned by Chris Minardi, the deputy mayor, Mr. Smith said he could fly it all the way to Georgica Beach if need be. The cost of the drone was not discussed.
In other public safety news, the village agreed to pay $52,679.12 to Gerard Turza Jr., $174,769.02 to Sgt. Matthew Morgan of the village police force, $264,088.74 to Officer Kenneth Brabant, and $138,040.13 to Officer Theodore Pharaoh for accumulated time.
The board also agreed to purchase two new Chevrolet Tahoes, with a combined value of $117,651.94, from Chevrolet of Smithtown, and a Ford Interceptor Utility Police Vehicle for $63,903.56, from Nielson Ford of Morristown, N.J.