/ Modified may 27, 2016 3:52 p.m.

Personal Drones Can Endanger Wildfire Fighting Efforts

Use of personal unmanned aerial vehicles near a fire grounds aerial firefighting efforts

drone

Listen:

Looking for a cool place to go take pictures with that drone you got for Christmas?

Wildfire fighters ask that it not be of a blaze they are trying to control.

Sean Cox has seen many fires from the air in his time on the job, and the aviation officer with Coronado National Forest admits it can be a spectacular sight.

“However, since we don’t have any communication or contact with that user, or that pilot, they’re a risk to both our ground firefighters and a more prevalent risk to our aerial firefighters, both fixed wing and rotary aircraft,” he said.

Cox said even though drones are small, a collision between one and a manned aircraft could be disastrous.

Crew commanders are forced to ground their planes and helicopters if any drones are spotted near a fire, which removes an important tool from their arsenal.

By posting comments, you agree to our
AZPM encourages comments, but comments that contain profanity, unrelated information, threats, libel, defamatory statements, obscenities, pornography or that violate the law are not allowed. Comments that promote commercial products or services are not allowed. Comments in violation of this policy will be removed. Continued posting of comments that violate this policy will result in the commenter being banned from the site.

By submitting your comments, you hereby give AZPM the right to post your comments and potentially use them in any other form of media operated by this institution.
AZPM is a service of the University of Arizona and our broadcast stations are licensed to the Arizona Board of Regents who hold the trademarks for Arizona Public Media and AZPM. We respectfully acknowledge the University of Arizona is on the land and territories of Indigenous peoples.
The University of Arizona