Omagh man purchases thermal drone to help locate missing persons

A THOUGHTFUL Omagh man will soon be using his technical skills for the greatest of good, after raising more than £7,000 to purchase a state-of-the-art thermal drone to help locate missing persons and pets – even in the darkest of nights.

Drone pilot, Chris Colton, was inspired, and deeply moved, to buy the flying craft after being called to aid in two search-and-rescue missions within six weeks of each other at the end of last year.

One of these was for 15-year-old Matthew McCallan, the late Dungannon boy, whose body was found on the outskirts of Fintona in December.

In the aftermath of the tragedy, the 32-year-old kick-started a ‘Crowdfunder’ fundraising page in an effort to raise the necessary monies to purchase a drone with thermal capabilities.

It was a fundraising project that captured the hearts of the people of Tyrone, and quickly ‘flew’ to epic proportions.

Despite taking less than two days for his initial target of £5,500 to be reached, the donations kept flooding in.

And, as such – after deducting online transaction costs and VAT fees – a delighted Chris, who owns ‘See See’ web design, located at Gortrush Industrial Estate, in Omagh, announced that his grand total amounted to an excellent £7,098.05.

Not only did the amount ensure that he was able to purchase the perfect thermal drone and vital accessories – but it also meant that he could donate the remainder to Matthew’s family.

Forever grateful, Chris has expressed his thanks to everyone who helped support the fundraising project in any way – stating that the drone, which arrived last week, could be the ‘difference between life and death’.

“The thermal drone has finally arrived after all the fundraising,” the former Sacred Heart College student said. “More than 250 people, and some local businesses, donated, and I wish I could hug every single one of you. You are all amazing.”

With his new piece of kit, Chris, who became a qualified drone operator in 2019, will now be able to detect missing persons during the day or night – and he is offering his services free-of-charge.

“If, during a search-and-rescue mission, somebody is still living, the drone will detect their natural body heat, and they will be easily visible,” Chris explained.

“And, even if it becomes a body retrieval situation, the outline of a body would be much easier to see with the use of a thermal drone.

“This is because, with a thermal drone in the sky, the air-to-ground visibility becomes much less of an issue,” he continued. “Darkness and obscuring fog becomes far less of an impediment to identifying people on the ground.”

Chris has advised that anyone looking for a missing person should contact the police first, and then get in touch with him.

“If anyone ever needs help locating a missing person or animal, please get in touch with me,” the Omagh man said. “My email and telephone number are always open [see bottom of story], and I will be adding contact details to my website in the coming weeks.

“I will also be making a video showcasing how the drone works, and if anyone wants to pop down to my office at Gortrush Industrial Estate to find out more, they are more than welcome to.

“I am just blown away by the kindness and generosity of the people who have supported this fundraising project,” Chris concluded. “I am truly grateful that you all believed in this cause, and I am so honoured to be able to fly this drone in future search-and-rescue missions.

“Thank you, also, to Drone Safe Store, for kindly providing a discount for the equipment.”

“It is an amazing piece of equipment for the local area – and I hope that everyone knows that this wouldn’t have been possible without you all.”

To get in contact with Chris, please email ‘chris@seesee.ie’; or call him on 028 8230 3681