Jeff Ross lost his brother. Now he helps others find missing family members
Volunteer joins search and rescue team that helped his family, and buys a drone to aid in searches
Three years after his brother went missing and was later found dead, Jeff Ross has been volunteering with the search and rescue team that helped bring his family closure.
Now a seasoned volunteer, Ross recently bought a high-end thermal drone that he's sharing with Brandon Regional Search and Rescue.
He hopes it will speed up future searches and spare families the pain of not knowing what's happened to a missing loved one.
"Having gone through what I did with my brother, it is a way to give back to our community," Ross said.
"We know that people when they have someone that they love go missing or are lost, that we just need all the support we can get."
Ross met the search and rescue team in June 2022 when his brother Jordan Ross disappeared. He was amazed at the heart and work the crew put into finding his missing brother.
"They just gave their hearts and souls into it," Ross said. "I just kind of fell in love with them."
The search and rescue volunteers helped his family find the resolution they needed, he said.
The experience showed him that joining Brandon Regional Search and Rescue was the right fit for him, Ross said.
Eyes in the sky
The search team has never had a tool like the DJI Matrice 350 RTK drone, Ross said.
It has a thermal camera that lets the team look for heat signatures. It also has a 30x zoom lens and can hover 120 metres above the ground.
He says there's nothing comparable to having eyes in the sky, and its thermal capabilities will be critical.
"If we could find that person by heat signature quicker than we would just a regular line search, then it just brings us to that person in need that much quicker," Ross said.
Ross has a special drone operator's licence and is required to create a flight plan every time he operates it.
He recently tested its capabilities at Falcon Lake, where the team was providing first aid for an event, and was blown away by its technological capabilities.
It can be manually flown or fully automated and sent on flight paths.
Brandon Regional Search and Rescue member Robin Ponto praised Ross's generosity in sharing the drone with the team.
It will help cut search times, especially in rougher terrain, he said.
Search and rescue a calling
In the three years since he joined the search and rescue crew, Ross has become an integral part of the team, Ponto said.
"He's caring," Ponto said. "His experience three years ago, I think, kind of melds that all together with that passion and the commitment."
Right now, the team has 35 volunteers. They are like a family and bound by a passion for stepping up to help in harrowing and tragic situations, Ponto said.
In a typical year, the team is deployed around six or seven times. Each deployment can be both exciting and scary as they race to help families find loved ones who have gone missing, he said.
Their goal is to support families on what's often the worst day of their lives, he said.
"It's difficult, but it's rewarding in the end... We want to give hope to those people who are looking for their family and make sure that we get those people home," Ponto said. "It's heart-wrenching."
Ross now has about half a dozen searches under his belt. He appreciates being able to bring resolution to other families with a crew he loves.
"It's a way to give back to our community," Ross said. "It's fulfilling."
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