February 17, 2017 - Flying drones is a fast-growing hobby, but Forest Service officials are warning that drones are becoming a fast-growing problem for firefighters doing their job.
While unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, may be flown in many places in the National Forests and Grasslands in Texas (NFGT), there are areas where they can’t be flown by federal law and in accordance with FAA guidelines.
“By law, areas where drones can’t be operated include Wilderness Areas and areas with Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs), such as wildfires or controlled burning,” said Peter Goetzinger, fire management officer for the NFGT.
Areas where they shouldn’t be flown include:
--- Campgrounds and trailheads
--- U.S. Forest Service helibases, airtanker bases, and other aircraft facilities including backcountry airstrips
--- Areas where aircraft are performing wildfire suppression or other natural resource management missions, such as aerial surveys for forest health protection and controlled fire
Goetzinger said from 2015 to 2016, the number of documented drone incidents that hampered Forest Service operations doubled nationally.
“When these unmanned aerial vehicles are in our airspace, aircraft are forced to land and stop suppression operations until the drone can be located and removed. In the wildfire, these incursions greatly endanger lives, cost taxpayers money and increase fire size while aircraft cannot work to suppress the fire,” he said.
From mid-January to May, the NFGT uses two helicopters to ignite controlled fire and to aid in the suppression of wildfires. Controlled fire is essential in maintaining healthy ecosystems, wildlife habitat, water quality and reducing the potential for large catastrophic wildfires, and the NFGT treats approximately 100,000 acres annually with fire.
The use of helicopters allows ground personnel to focus on igniting and holding the control lines, and the helicopter is used to ignite the interior portion of the burn unit in an organized and controlled fashion. This allows for a larger area to be burned in a timely manner, aids in controlling the fire behavior, and most importantly aids in timely dispersion of smoke reducing the impacts of smoke to the public. In this type of operation, helicopters fly at very low level altitudes, generally 100-500 feet above ground – the same airspace that drones operate.
Anyone who wants to fly drones in the National Forest should follow FAA safety guidelines which include:
--- Fly below 400 feet and remain clear of surrounding obstacles
--- Keep the aircraft within visual line of sight at all times
--- Remain well clear of and do not interfere with manned aircraft operations
--- Don’t fly within 5 miles of an airport unless you contact the airport and control tower before flying
--- Don’t fly near people or stadiums
--- Don’t fly an aircraft that weighs more than 55 pounds
--- Don’t be careless or reckless with your unmanned aircraft; you could be fined for endangering people or other aircraft.
The U.S. Forest Service’s “If You Fly, We Can’t” campaign strongly encourages the public to contact the Ranger District office ahead of time in the area of the National Forest where they want to fly a drone to see if any agency flights are scheduled.
For more information on drone regulation, visit www.knowbeforeyoufly.org
