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Forest Service reminds drone operators:
Steer clear of active fire areas |
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August 27, 2015 |
In fighting western wildfires this season,
officials have noted a serious, emerging problem
– that of interference from Unmanned Aircraft
Systems (UAS), often referred to as “drones,”
with firefighting responders.
The U.S. Forest Service Northern Region urges
individuals and organizations that fly drones to
avoid areas with active wildfires to ensure the
safety of firefighters and the effectiveness of
wildfire suppression operations.
“Firefighting aircraft have been held up from
doing their job in other parts of the west due
to interference from drones,” said Leanne
Marten, Regional Forester for the Northern
Region. “With our fire season in full swing, we
don’t want anything keeping us from delivering a
quick, safe response.”
The Federal Aviation Administration typically
imposes a Temporary Flight Restriction over
wildfire areas. Information about these flight
restrictins is available online at
http://tfr.faa.gov/tfr2/list.html. The
Temporary Flight Restrictions require most
aircraft, manned or unmanned, other than those
engaged in wildfire suppression operations, to
obtain permission from fire managers or the FAA
to enter specified airspace. The FAA and the
U.S. Forest Service consider drones, including
those used by hobbyists and recreationists, to
be aircraft and therefore subject to these
flight restrictions. Nationwide, there have been
several instances of a drone being flown within
or near a flight-restricted wildfire area
without appropriate authorization.
Unauthorized drone flights over or near a
wildfire could cause serious injury or death to
firefighters on the ground. Unauthorized drones
could also be involved in midair collisions with
air tankers, helicopters, and other aircraft
engaged in fire suppression operations.
Unauthorized drone flights within or near a
wildfire could lead fire managers to suspend
aerial wildfire suppression operations until the
drone has left the restricted airspace and they
are confident it won’t return. This could
decrease the effectiveness of suppression
operations, allowing the fire to grow larger and
potentially threaten lives, property, and
valuable natural and cultural resources.
“There haven’t been any situations in the
Northern Region (which includes north Idaho,
Montana, North Dakota, and northwest South
Dakota) where drones have hampered firefighting
efforts, and we want to keep it that way,” said
Marten. “Firefighting aircraft typically fly at
about the same, or lower, altitude than
hobbyists or recreationists fly UAS, often in
smoky, windy, and turbulent conditions. Safety
depends on knowing what other aircraft and
objects are operating in the airspace.”
Drone operations by individuals and
organizations must be authorized by the FAA or
comply with the Special Rule for Model Aircraft
(Section 336 of P.L. 112-95). Information is
available online at
www.faa.gov/uas. Any unauthorized flying of
aircraft within the area of a Temporary Flight
Restriction will be reported to the FAA.
Individuals who are determined to have
interfered with wildfire suppression efforts may
be subject to civil penalties and potentially
criminal prosecution. |
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