With temperatures heating up, it is a great time to remind drone owners about the dangers of flying in woodland areas. Wildfire is a common occurrence in woodland areas globally, and can be very devastating if left unchecked.
It is up to each and every citizen visiting these areas to ensure that fires do not start, or at the very least, do not continue unchecked. Flying a drone can be both a source of these fires, or even the cause of interference when fighting one.
Starting Fires
A crashing drone has been known to cause fires in its landing site. This can be enhanced by the presence of flammable material in the area, such as dry twigs and leaves. It is therefore very easy to start fires accidentally in the middle of woodland areas. One small ember can swiftly become a roaring fire that can consume entire regions of forested land. It is therefore necessary to avoid these areas if possible to prevent any fires from starting.
Preventing Wildfire Operations
In case of an ongoing fire, a drone can be a problem as well. Spectators usually send their drones into the air in the event of a fire. This is because they may want to capture footage from a high vantage point. What people do not realize is that with their drones flying above the scene, firefighters cannot fly into the area. The drone increases the risk for collision, and firefighting arsenal, such as helicopters and their own drones cannot fly in to help out.
In this case, the firefighters have to either find the drone operator to take it down, or reroute the entire operation to avoid the drone. In this second scenario, the timeframe it would take to contain the fire would increase drastically. In any event, the presence of a civilian drone would make the situation worse for those trying to put out the fire.
