TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WIAT) — The Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Department has a new high tech rescue drone.

Deputy paramedic Andy McGee is also a certified drone operator and says getting the new drone will help anytime he responds to emergency search and rescue situations.

“It saves time especially since you’re looking for lost children and time is the most important thing and we need to start looking immediately and usually when that call comes in it is quick to find someone that’s missing and we can get an aerial view and it has a thermal imaging camera on it and we can look daytime or night time and can pick up heat signatures,” said McGee.

The Alabama Association of Rescue Squads received a $70,000 grant to purchase search drones, and they were distributed across the state to 11 rescue squads, including the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Department.