Drop the drone!

[Lee Borgersen]

   Drop the drone during fire season


Flying a drone can be a lot of fun but it can be downright dangerous during a wildfire, according to the Department of Natural Resources.

  .....
Most people wouldn't dream of driving their car in front of a fire engine that's responding to a fire, said Casey McCoy, the DNR's fire prevention supervisor. Flying your drone during a wildfire is just as reckless: we have to ground our planes until the drone gets out of the way, and that slows down our ability to fight the fire.

  ....
This happened last year during a wildfire in Little Falls: DNR pilots had to land firefighting helicopters because a drone was buzzing overhead. According to McCoy, interfering with fire operations in this way is dangerous for our aircraft, firefighters on the ground, and the general public.

The reason drones pose such a problem is because they fly at roughly the same altitude as wildfire suppression aircraft. Even a small drone can cause a fire-fighting helicopter to crash if the drone makes contact with the aircraft.

  ....
Flying a drone over a wildfire isn't just dangerous, it's illegal: Federal law prohibits interfering with firefighting operations, and that includes flying a drone over a wildfire.
To protect firefighting aircraft, temporary flight restrictions may extend over a 5-mile radius of a wildfire. Even if temporary flight restrictions are not in place, people will be penalized if their drone is caught near a wildfire.


Be fire wise and fire safe. No photo or video is worth the risk. Drop the drone near all wildfires.
For more information about drones and wildfires, log onto the National Interagency Fire Center.

[Jerkbiat]

They need air to ground missiles and blow them out of the sky!

[Rebel SS]

Now that they've allowed hem to do deliveries and fly, etc., have fun trying to regulate them. If I saw one buzzing around me, hands down I'd blow that $#@! right outta the sky. Then come get me.

[Gunner55]

I had 1 flying around me in the boat 2-3 years ago    & couldn't figure out what that noise was until I spotted the boat behind me running it. It turned out that it was the new owners of 1 of the resort on this end of the lake trying to make a video of them catching a big LM bass so they could put it on their website. I was a little ticked at 1st but after I found out what was goin on it didn't bother me as much.

[Rebel SS]

Glenn heard some buzzin' around his head too, but it was just the flies.   

[Gunner55]

Glenn heard some buzzin' around his head too, but it was just the flies.   

[glenn57]

Glenn heard some buzzin' around his head too, but it was just the flies.   

[Rebel SS]

Boar told me to say that. 

[glenn57]

Boar told me to say that. 

and if boar told you to jump into a frozen lake?????? you'd do that too!!!!!!

[Rebel SS]

               I was just gonna say good morning........

[LPS]

I would be tempted to shoot one over me on my own property if it hung around for awhile. 

[Steve-o]

They need air to ground missiles and blow them out of the sky!

Your wish is my command...

[Dotch]

I would be tempted to shoot one over me on my own property if it hung around for awhile.

Me too. Just curious whether you need to use non-toxic shot? 

They've been using drones for ag applications, primarily field troubleshooting for some time now. I hesitate to call it scouting because that would involve actually getting off yer dead ass and out of the pickup to see what the problem actually is. Time consuming & weather dependent when using infrared. Lots of them collecting dust after a few years.