Texas Wildfire Incident Sparks Concern Over Drone Safety

In a recent brush with danger, a helicopter battling the Barth Fire in Caldwell County came perilously close to a drone. This alarming near-miss prompted an urgent plea from the A&M .

On Tuesday, officials revealed that while the helicopter was depositing water over the 150-acre last Friday, it narrowly avoided a collision with a drone that ventured alarmingly close.

Jared Karns, the State Aviation Manager of the Texas A&M Forest Service, expressed grave concerns over the incident.

“Pilots have no way to detect a drone or know there is one present in the airspace until they see it,” he stated, emphasizing the vital role of aircraft in firefighting efforts. He added, “Suppression aircraft can respond to wildfires quickly… but they have to be able to fly in a safe environment.”

The Forest Service warned of the serious dangers that drones pose. When these unmanned devices are in the proximity of firefighting operations, they jeopardize the safety of both aircraft and ground crew. An unfortunate clash between a drone and an aircraft could lead to catastrophic consequences.

Moreover, firefighting measures might be halted until drones clear out, potentially exacerbating the wildfire. It’s worth noting that many drones operated by enthusiasts cruise at an altitude of about 150 feet, the very height at which many firefighting aircraft operate.

READ: DRONES DISRUPT FIREFIGHTING EFFORTS IN WASHINGTON

To ensure safety, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) sets up Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFR) around areas affected by wildfires. This measure bars all aircraft, including drones, from accessing these zones. Anyone defying this and obstructing firefighting operations is committing a federal crime.

With Texas gripped by sweltering heat and arid conditions elevating the risk of wildfires, the Texas A&M Forest Service remains ever-vigilant. Since July, they’ve marshaled over 60 aviation resources to combat the fires. These have made significant contributions, unleashing over 502,503 gallons of fire retardant and a whopping 3.2 million gallons of water.

Karns highlighted the relentlessness of their operations: “These aircraft are responding to incidents every single day.” He implored the public to stay clear of active fire zones, underscoring the importance of safety for both the aircraft and ground crews.

It’s worth mentioning that, this year alone, there have been 3,211 wildfires scorching 110,633 acres in Texas, with a staggering 1,350 occurring in just July and August.

For the latest on Texas wildfires, you can visit 这里. The Texas A&M Forest Service clarified that they source all firefighting aircraft through contracts with federal agencies.


了解 DroneXL.co 的更多信息

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

发出你的声音

拟议的立法威胁到您使用无人机娱乐、工作和安全的能力。无人机 无人机宣传联盟 加入我们,告诉您的民选官员保护您的飞行权利。

无人机宣传联盟
立即行动
在谷歌新闻上关注我们!

获取第 107 部分证书

通过测试,带着 试点研究所.我们已帮助数千人成为飞机和商用无人机飞行员。我们的课程由行业专家设计,帮助您通过 FAA 考试,实现梦想。

试验研究所

版权所有 © DroneXL.co 2024。保留所有权利。本网站的内容、图像和知识产权受版权法保护。未经 DroneXL.co 事先书面许可,严禁复制或传播任何资料。有关许可和咨询,请 联系我们 first. Also, be sure to check out DroneXL's sister site, EVXL.co, for all the latest news on electric vehicles.

美国联邦贸易委员会:DroneXL.co 是亚马逊联营公司,使用联营链接可从符合条件的购买中获得收入。我们不会出售、分享、出租或向您发送垃圾邮件。

Haye Kesteloo
Haye Kesteloo

Haye Kesteloo 是以下网站的创始人和主编 DroneXL.co在这里,他报道所有与无人机相关的新闻、大疆创新公司的传言并撰写无人机评论,以及 EVXL.co的所有与电动汽车有关的新闻。他还是 PiXL 无人机表演 YouTube 和其他播客平台。您可以通过以下方式联系 Haye:haye @ dronexl.co 或 @hayekesteloo.

文章: 4214

发表评论

此站点使用Akismet来减少垃圾评论。了解我们如何处理您的评论数据

zh_CNChinese