Monday, November 04, 2019

If you fly drones over fires tankers and helos can not fly



There was an unauthorized UAS (unmanned aircraft system) aka "drone" over the Maria Fire in Ventura County, California last week. Air tankers and helicopters and other aerial operations over the fire were grounded until the UAS cleared the area, see these articles  from Mashable and NPR for more information. As I write this the Maria Fire is at 80 percent containment having burned 9.412 acres.

The US Forest Service has a webpage with information about why drones over fires are dangerous.

The FAA calls drones and wildfires a "toxic mix": "It's a federal crime, punishable by up to 12 months in prison, to interfere with fire-fighting efforts on public lands. Additionally, Congress has authorized the FAA to impose a civil penalty of up to $20,000 "against a drone pilot who interferes with wildfire suppression, law enforcement or emergence response operations. The FAA treats these violations seriously and will immediately consider swift enforcement action."


direct link to video from US Forest Service National Interagency Fire Center


direct link to video from CAL FIRE

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