Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) mencatat penyelamatan pertama jenisnya di Australia setelah drone berteknologi kecerdasan buatan (AI) berhasil menemukan dua pendaki yang hilang di jalur Dead Horse Gap, Taman Nasional Kosciuszko, hanya dalam waktu lima jam. Pasangan pendaki tersebut dilaporkan tidak kembali ke titik pertemuan pada Selasa malam, sekitar 35 kilometer barat daya Jindabyne, memicu operasi pencarian dan penyelamatan gabungan Kepolisian NSW, State Emergency Service (SES), dan FRNSW di tengah cuaca dingin pegunungan.

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) has recorded Australia's first rescue of its kind after an AI-powered drone found two lost hikers on the Dead Horse Gap trail in Kosciuszko National Park within just five hours. The pair failed to return to their rendezvous point on Tuesday night, about 35 kilometres south-west of Jindabyne, triggering a joint search-and-rescue operation by NSW Police, the State Emergency Service (SES), and FRNSW in cold alpine conditions.

Saat kegelapan turun, operator FRNSW menerbangkan drone yang dilengkapi empat kamera termasuk kamera pencitra termal untuk melakukan pencarian grid udara. Perangkat lunak AI pada drone mampu menganalisis ribuan gambar secara real-time dan membedakan manusia dari hewan, kendaraan, atau sumber panas lain. Begitu kedua pendaki teridentifikasi di semak-semak, sorotan lampu drone langsung mengarahkan tim darat menuju lokasi — sementara kedua pendaki turut membantu dengan menyalakan cahaya merah dari ponsel mereka untuk menarik perhatian drone di kegelapan.

As darkness fell, the FRNSW operator launched the drone — equipped with four cameras, including a thermal-imaging unit — to conduct an aerial grid search. Its AI software can analyse thousands of images in real time, distinguishing people from animals, vehicles, and other heat sources. Once the pair was spotted in the bush, the drone's spotlight guided the ground crew straight to the location, while the hikers helped by flashing a red light from a mobile phone to draw the drone's attention in the dark.

Kedua pendaki, laki-laki berusia 20-an tahun, ditemukan dalam kondisi kelelahan akibat paparan dingin namun tidak memerlukan perawatan medis lanjutan. "Pelatihan dan dukungan yang diberikan Unit Aviasi FRNSW memastikan petugas pemadam kebakaran lokal memiliki keterampilan dan peralatan untuk mendukung Kepolisian dan SES dalam operasi yang berhasil ini," kata Komandan FRNSW, John Marzol. Ia turut mengimbau para pendaki di kawasan salju untuk melapor ke otoritas taman nasional sebelum mendaki dan mendaftar penggunaan Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) secara gratis agar tidak tersesat di alam bebas.

The two hikers, men in their 20s, were found suffering mild exposure but did not require further medical treatment. "The training and support provided by FRNSW's Aviation Unit ensured local firefighters had the skills and equipment to support Police and the SES to effect a successful operation," said FRNSW Commander John Marzol, who also urged hikers in snowfield areas to notify national park authorities before setting out and to register for free use of a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) to avoid getting lost in the backcountry.

Kasus di Kosciuszko ini menjadi contoh nyata bagaimana teknologi drone AI dapat memangkas waktu pencarian dari yang berpotensi berhari-hari menjadi hitungan jam — sebuah pelajaran yang relevan bagi Indonesia, yang tiap tahun mencatat sejumlah kasus pendaki hilang di kawasan pegunungan terpencil seperti Gunung Binaiya, Maluku. FMI mendorong pengelola taman nasional dan komunitas pendakian di Tanah Air untuk terus mengikuti perkembangan teknologi pencarian berbasis AI dan penginderaan termal, sejalan dengan inisiatif serupa yang mulai diuji di sejumlah jalur pendakian domestik.

The Kosciuszko case is a concrete example of how AI drone technology can cut search times from potentially days to mere hours — a lesson relevant to Indonesia, which records several cases of hikers going missing in remote mountain areas such as Mount Binaiya, Maluku, each year. FMI encourages national park managers and the domestic climbing community to keep tracking AI-based search and thermal-sensing technology, in line with similar initiatives beginning to be trialled on local hiking trails.