SAN DIEGO — Cal Fire and San Diego Sheriff’s Office are sending a message to drone operators to stay clear of wildfires, warning them not to interfere with firefighting operations.
“It might be good to get that video and that content for social media, but it’s hazardous, and it’s illegal, so we ask that you don’t do that,” said Fire Captain Michael Cornette with Cal Fire San Diego. “The airplanes and the tankers, they can fly down as low as 150 feet when they’re dropping their water and retardant, and that’s about the height the hobbyists like to fly at.”
Cornette stressed the risk involved when a drone gets too close to aircraft.
“It’s just like a bird strike; it’s a foreign object that could affect the rotors, the propellors, or the wings of any of the firefighting aircraft and could be dangerous,” said Cornette.
When a drone is spotted near a fire, Cal Fire and other agencies must ground all aircraft and suspend their air attack on the fire.
“It’s hazardous because helicopters and the aircraft, they’re most effective in that initial part of the fire and keeping things small and keeping that fire in check so the firefighters can get on the ground and cut around it and put their hoses down,” said Cornette.
On August 1, a small vegetation fire broke out on the side of I-15 south of Deer Springs Road, and a drone in the air caused firefighters to halt air operations.
“Firefighters arrived on the scene, they noticed the drone, and they halted the air assault until that drone could get out of the way, and then we could resume with our helicopters and air tankers,” said Cornette.
The small brush fire contained one acre, but Cal Fire reminds San Diegans that any small fire can quickly get out of control during those first few minutes.
“The slogan that we use is, ‘If you fly, we can’t, so it’s best just to stay out of their way and let the aircraft do their job,” Cornette said.
It’s a federal crime to interfere with emergency fire operations, punishable by up to 12 months in prison, and the FAA can impose a fine of up to $20,000 against the drone pilot.
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