I agree that it can be a extremely useful, especially for searches in terrain that is difficult to search by other means. Drones are currently used by government agencies, as well as law enforcement, in the U.S. for different kinds of surveillance.
However, the key factor in any search is time, not dollars. I don't believe that anyone would complain over the cost of saving their life. If drones can speed up the search, then that is all for the good.
However good the drones are now, or will be in the future,it will still take the old-fashioned "boots on the ground" to actually perform a rescue.
