Public warned of the cost of drone interference in wildfire firefighting
The FAA has warned US citizens with drones not to operate them near wildfires, telling them that ‘if you fly your drone anywhere near a wildfire, you could get someone killed’.
With fires blazing across the US, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has warned citizens with drones not to operate them near wildfires, telling them that ‘if you fly your drone anywhere near a wildfire, you could get someone killed’.
As it points out, the use of authorised drones is becoming an increasingly important tool in the arsenal of firefighters, especially when tackling wildfires. Unauthorised drone use, however, can cause mid-air collisions with firefighting aircraft or distract pilots when in the air. It often means that all operations have to cease till the unauthorised drone is out of the sky.
“Most members of the public would never dream of standing in front of a fire engine to stop it from getting to a wildfire, but that’s essentially what they’re doing to aerial firefighting aircraft when they fly a drone over or near a wildfire,” said Jennifer Jones, spokesperson with the US Department of Agriculture Forest Service at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho.
The FAA said that interference in firefighting activities could cost the perpetrator more than $20,000 in civil penalties and potential prosecution, but that cost is nothing compared with the risk of life to the fire crews involved.
“If you own a drone, DO NOT fly near or over a wildfire,” said FAA acting administrator Dan Elwell. “It’s against the law, and firefighting aircraft could be grounded, disrupting time-critical firefighting efforts. Your hobby is not worth another person’s life.”