BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2026 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — Florida ranks fifth nationwide for unintentional drownings, and the Broward Sheriff’s Office is turning to drone technology to get help to swimmers faster. BSO deputies trained as UAS operators in Lauderdale-By-The-Sea and Pompano Beach can now use their drones to fly emergency flotation devices straight out to swimmers in distress.
The device, called Restube®, attaches to the drone before it launches. Deputies fly the UAS out over the water to the struggling swimmer and drop the device into the water near them. Once it hits the water, the Restube® automatically inflates into a four-foot buoy, giving the swimmer something to hold onto and stay afloat until rescuers arrive.
Deputies say the drones can often reach a swimmer faster than a boat or a lifeguard swimming out from shore, buying critical time in an emergency where seconds matter. The technology gives BSO another way to respond to water rescues without putting a deputy in the water themselves.
The drone-deployed flotation system adds to BSO’s existing lifesaving capabilities on land, in the air and on the water, giving the agency more options when a swimmer needs help fast.
