Monterey, CA – CAL FIRE has reported several instances of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), otherwise known has Hobby Drones, flying in the vicinity of the Lake fire in San Bernardino County. The intrusion of these drones in the air space of firefighting aircraft resulted in all air operations being suspended until the drones were located and grounded. CAL FIRE San Benito-Monterey Unit would like to remind everyone that intrusion of the air space around a fire incident is highly dangerous to firefighting aircraft and firefighters on the ground. Here are a few keep points to remember regarding the critical air space around a fire incident.

• Hobby drones, or UAS, pose a major safety threat to firefighting pilots and firefighters.
• When a hobby drone is flown into a fire area, incident commanders have no
choice but to suspend air operations and ground aircraft until the drone is
removed from the area.
• As hobby drones have grown in popularity, we have seen an increase in
these drones interfering with firefighting operations.
• A collision could easily result in major damage to our aircraft, injuries to the
pilot and crew on board as well as firefighters below, and worse, a midair
collision.
• When drones interfere with firefighting efforts, a wildfire has the potential to
grow larger and cause more damage.
• On most wildfires, an FAA Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) is put into
effect and any private aircraft or drone that violates the TFR could face
serious criminal charges.
• Even without a TFR, anyone who hampers firefighting efforts could face
charges as well.
• For more information on drones, the public can visit the FAA’s website at
www.KnowBeforeYouFly.org.

“If you fly, we can’t!”

For more ways to prepare and prevent wildfires visit www.ReadyForWildfire.org or www.fire.ca.gov.