Drones and Wildfire Airspace Incursion

General Talking Points

If you fly a drone over a fire, air operations could be suspended until the risk of a mid-air collision with a drone is 

resolved.

When firefighting aircraft are grounded for any reason, 

fire crews lose access to a valuable resource which can 

adversely affect the safety and efficiency of the overall 

firefighting effort.

Regardless of your motivation, flying a drone near a wildfire is putting someone else’s life in danger. Your hobby is 

not worth another person’s life.

Fire aviation experts believe that if drones continue to be 

flown over fires, it is only a matter of time until a collision 

occurs between a drone and a firefighting aircraft.

Drones are very hard to spot by firefighting flight crews 

because they are relatively small and slow flying.

Unauthorized drones have no communication with firefighting flight crews.

Key Messages

» Drone incursions into airspace around active 

wildfires are increasing.

» Dozens of airspace conflicts are reported 

yearly within the wildland fire community. 

Just one incident on a wildfire, however, can 

adversely affect the safety and efficiency of the 

overall firefighting effort.

» Firefighting aircraft including leadplanes, 

helicopters, airtankers and smokejumper 

paracargo fly as low as 150 feet above the 

ground, which is the same altitude that many 

hobbyist drones fly.

» Drones have limited sense-and-avoid 

capabilities. Operators can only “see” in a 

single direction in relation to the drone—the 

direction the onboard camera is pointed. In 

other words, in spite of well-meaning efforts to 

fly safely, a drone can be unwittingly flown into 

the path of a piloted aircraft.

» While helicopters engaged in firefighting 

operations are slower than the aerial supervision and retardant-dropping aircraft, the 

air movement dynamic created by the rotor 

system of a helicopter creates a unique 

collision hazard. A small drone can literally 

be sucked into the rotors of a helicopter.

» On land managed by the BLM, the federal 

regulation that applies to drones interfering 

with a fire is 43 CFR 9212.1(f). This section 

of the Code of Federal Regulations outlines 

acts that are prohibited related to starting 

a wildfire, or interfering with the efforts of 

firefighters to extinguish a fire.

» Violating this regulation can have consequences. For example, in Idaho, the fine for 

violating this regulation is $500 and/or a 

Mandatory Appearance. The fine will vary 

by state.

» If the law enforcement officer determines 

the violation is egregious or there are other 

factors the officer thinks a judge should 

consider related to the violation, the officer 

has the authority to issue a violation notice 

with a “mandatory appearance.”

» This type of citation requires the violator to 

appear in court to settle the issue in front of 

a judge.

» Whenever and wherever possible, 

government agencies, the aviation 

community, hobby drone organizations, 

drone manufacturers, and the news media 

should urge hobby drone operators to avoid 

flying drones near wildfires.

» To learn more about how to properly 

operate a drone, visit 

http://knowbeforeyoufly.org/