VIDEO: As ice rescues become more common across the Front Range, emergency departments are turning to a second set of eyes in an effort to save people faster.
North Metro Fire has been using drones for about a year, but this week, they added a new feature: infrared technology.
"What we're looking for is holes in the ice. We're looking for signs of life, which include heat signatures, which before we'd never be able to see," says firefighter Jeff Burke.
Burke is one of two drone operators at North Metro who are specially trained to use the drones in emergency situations.
"We can find people we couldn't before, and do it faster and safer than ever before."
Over the weekend, the department tested out the infrared technology for the first time.
Firefighters hid a dummy made of plastic underneath the ice at Carpenter Park in Northglenn, and sent Burke and other first responders in to find it.
Within seconds, Burke was able to see the dummy under the ice and direct crews in ice rescue suits to its exact location.