Drone (File photo/Canadian Press)

By Pete McIntyre

'dangerous activity'

RCMP investigate drone interference at wildfire site

Jul 12, 2021 | 3:47 PM

If the person who was allegedly flying a drone in a Vernon fire zone is ever caught, they could be fined up to $100,000 and face a year in jail.

Local RCMP are investigating reports that one of the devices was in the vicinity of the Becker Lake Fire Saturday, July 10, causing fire-fighting efforts to be suspended.

Constable Chris Terleski, Media Relations Officer for the Vernon North Okanagan RCMP, said on Friday and Saturday, first responders had to deal with both curious onlookers congesting access and egress routes from emergency scenes, as well as the disruption of aircraft attempting to draft from local bodies of water.

“Due to the unpredictable nature of these events, resources may need to re-directed and rapidly deployed to multiple locations, and they need to be able to do that unimpeded,” Terleski said.

On Saturday, fire department members on the ground spotted a large drone in the sky above the Becker Lake Fire east of Vernon. The discovery, at around 4:30 p.m., was relayed to the incident commander who suspended all air operations for a one-hour period until they could be safely resumed.

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“This type of activity is dangerous and interferes with critical firefighting operations,” Madison Smith, BC Wildfire Information Officer, stated. “Delays of this type are preventable and they create additional, unnecessary challenges that compromise the suppression efforts of our firefighters to safely contain fire activity.”

The restricted airspace around a wildfire includes a radius of five nautical miles around the fire and to an altitude of 3,000 feet above ground level. Any operation of a drone within that space qualifies as interference with fire control and you could be fined up to $100,000 and face a year jail.

Terleski said the intentional grounding of aircraft engaged in fighting a wildfire could have disastrous consequences.

“We are incredibly grateful for the ongoing efforts of both wildfire and municipal firefighters who are working tirelessly to ensure the safety of our communities,” he said. “The outpouring of appreciation for our first responders has been amazing and very much appreciated, but we want to remind the public that one of the best ways you can support our first responders is to stay clear of emergency scenes and avoid any actions that may jeopardize their or your own safety.”

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