Nik Rajkovic / news@whmi.com

Ingham County Sheriff's Office reports it used a drone and its newly implemented What3Words ap to rescue a 78-year-old woman who unexpectedly got stuck along a steep bank of the Grand River while kayaking this week.

It happened around 5:35 pm Monday after 911 Dispatch was alerted when the woman, who had been kayaking alone, called to report she was stranded along the river, unsure of where she was.

According to the sheriff's office, dispatchers stayed in contact with the woman via cell phone, using the location-based app What3Words to identify her location.

The technology divides the world into a grid of 10 feet by 10 feet squares, assigning each square a unique combination of three words that can be provided to responders to narrow down the search area.

Dispatch was able to plot her approximate location, giving responders an accurate starting point despite her being in a remote and wooded area with limited visibility.

Ingham County Sheriff’s Deputies also utilized a drone to search the river and found the woman’s location in less than four minutes. Deputies kept the drone in place overhead, serving as a visual reference point for police and fire personnel navigating the terrain to reach her while the deputy operating the drone worked to direct the responders to the stranded kayaker.

Mason Fire personnel were then able to successfully rescue the female from a steep portion of the riverbank.

"A great example of how interagency collaboration and technology can be leveraged to save lives, the quick response and seamless collaboration among our multiple agency first responders played a critical role in locating and bringing the woman to safety off of a dangerous embankment; she was uninjured and safely returned to her vehicle."

The sheriff's office said the "rescue serves as a good reminder of the importance of pre-planning safety measures when engaging in outdoor activities, and to consider downloading location apps such as What3Words for emergency situations."

"Ingham County Sheriff’s Office commends the members of Ingham County 911 Dispatch, Mason Fire Department, and Ingham County Sheriff’s Office for their quick thinking and exemplary efforts leading to the successful outcome in this response!"

A link to a clip of the drone video is linked below.