Mayor's good luck means fire department now has drone

LAPORTE, Ind. (AP) - A northwestern Indiana city's fire department now has a drone, courtesy of its mayor's good luck.

WSBT-TV reports (http://bit.ly/2aSHc14 ) that LaPorte Mayor Blair Milo won the drone at a conference and gave it to the fire department.

Fire Chief Andy Snyder says the drone can help keep people and firefighters safe in dangerous situations. He says that after a grain elevator exploded in the town of La Crosse last year, a drone was able to show first responders that parts of some floors were missing.

He says it also might be used to look for missing people, including children.

Snyder says the department is considering buying a drone with a thermal-imaging camera that would allow firefighters to find hotspots in buildings and people during emergencies.

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Information from: WSBT-TV, http://www.wsbt.com/