BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — The City of Bowling Green has approved $100,000 to buy a drone that could rescue people from dangerous water conditions.

What You Need To Know

  • The City of Bowling Green is investing $100,000 into a drone to help with water rescues 

  • The drone costs around $50,000; the other $50,000 will be invested into supplemental resources such as training and a boat from which the drone will be deployed

  • The investment comes after two people drowned in Bowling Green last year

  • The drone will arrive in a couple of weeks

“It has sonar vision, and it has the ability with a mechanical arm to retrieve somebody from below the surface,” said John Meisel, city manager of Bowling Green. 

Meisel said the drone itself cost a little more than $50,000. The other $50,000 will pay for a boat from which the drone will be deployed and trainings from Oceanbotics.

“They’ll teach some of our guys and ladies how to use this piece of equipment,” Meisel said. 

Once the drone is in the water, an operator will control the device with a remote. 

“You have a choice of a helicopter pilot-type joystick or a choice of almost like an Xbox-type game controller,” Meisel said. 

Bowling Green Mayor Todd Alcott said the $100,000 investment comes after two people drowned in Bowling Green last year.

“With this new piece of equipment, we may be able to save a life,” Alcott said. 

It’s a small price to pay to make sure Kentuckians are safe, Meisel said. 

“If we save one life with this, in my opinion, it’s well worth it,” he said. 

The drone will arrive in a couple of weeks. Firefighters will then be trained on how to use it.

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