Forest Service reminds drone operators: Steer clear of active fire areas

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.