INFOGRAPHIC: Drones and wildfires don’t mix

As B.C. is bracing for a hot, dry summer and the risk of wildfires rises, the B.C. government is reminding drone enthusiasts to think twice before getting their gadgets anywhere near firefighting operations.

Ryan Turcot, information officer with the Provincial Wildfire Coordination Centre, says Transport Canada and the BC Wildfire Service explicitly prohibit the use of drones of any size near a wildfire. Violators can face penalties of up to $25,000 and 18 months in jail.

The restricted airspace includes a radius of five nautical miles around the fire and an altitude of 3,000 feet above ground level.

For safety reasons, if a drone is detected in the controlled airspace over a wildfire, Turcot says the BC Wildfire Service will ground our nearby aircraft until the drone has left the area.

“Violating these rules can put the lives of aircrews and those on the ground in jeopardy,” he adds.

READ MORE: Some calling for crackdown on recreational drones

In the last two years, a number of close-call wildfire-related drone incidents have put the B.C. Ministry of Forests on alert.

On July 13, 2014, a drone belonging to an Okanagan news organization was stopped by fire officials after the operator tried to get closer to a wildfire near Peachland, B.C.

On Aug. 1, 2015, crews were forced to halt air operations on a wildfire burning near West Kelowna due to multiple drones flying overhead.

Just a few week later, crews had to halt air operations for several hours on the Testalinden Creek wildfire due to a drone flying over the fire.

“Progress to contain that fire was impeded, and we were lucky that the fire didn’t get worse as a result,” says Turcot.

Finally, on May 16 of this year, fire crews saw some people getting ready to launch a drone near the Beatton Airport Road fire, north of Fort St. John, but they drove away when crews approached them.

For more information on Transport Canada’s drone regulations, go here.

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