The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is warning drone operators not to fly their drones over wildfires. While more prominent in southern states, wildfires cause massive destruction to forests, communities and cities. Last year, wildfires in the United States burned nearly 10 million acres of land, resulting in billions of dollars worth of damage. But many drone operators find this destructive force of nature captivating, so they fly their drones around them to record footage and take photos.
While flying a drone over a wildfire may sound harmless, it poses a risk to workers who are fighting the fire. Fighting wildfires requires both on-ground and in-the-air efforts. In addition to firefighters chopping down trees, performing controlled burns and evacuating nearby residents, there are pilots who survey the area and drop water and flame-extinguishing chemicals over the wildfire. When drones are present, however, it increases the risk of an accident with these aviation firefighters.
To create a safer environment for the thousands of hardworking men and women who fight fires, the FAA is urging drone operators not to fly their drones over wildfires. The FAA explains that doing so is illegal, and that it prevents firefighters from being able to efficiently to do their job.
“If you own a drone, DO NOT fly near or over a wildfire. 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,” said the FAA’s Dan Elwell.
Consumer-grade drones are still a relatively new phenomenon, so the FAA has been forced to quickly adopt new rules to create the skies safe. Drones, for example, pose a significant risk to pilots of commercial airliners. A midair collision between a large airliner like a Boeing 747 and a small consumer-grade drone won’t cause any major damage to the plane’s body. It may, however, destroy an engine if the drone is sucked into it. This is why the FAA prohibits drone operators from flying their drone within five miles of an airport.
The FAA has always prohibited drone operators from flying drones in air space used for firefighting. This latest announcement, however, suggests that not all operators are abiding with this rule. Nonetheless, it’s important for the FAA to reinforce the need for a drone-free environment over wildfires. If operators are allowed to fly their drones here, it may result in a midair accident.
Anyone who’s caught flying a drone over a wildfire faces penalties up to $20,000.
