‘Just stay out of the way’: N.S. officials warn against drone use in wildfire area

Crews fighting the Halifax wildfire have had to contend with drones buzzing in the air.

Wildfires aren’t the only problem emergency crews are fighting in the Maritimes; officials are now cracking down on the use of drones in and around emergency operations.

“I’m sure it would be really exciting and interesting to get some great content of a fire, but if there’s a fire in the area, get your drones out of there,” says Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston.

“Just stay out of the way. Please do not get in the way of these hardworking men and women while they do their work. I know the restrictions that we have in place right now aren’t fun, but they’re certainly necessary.”

An emergency alert went out Tuesday evening reminding people that the operation of a drone within 9.3 kilometers of the Susie Lake Wildfire, in the Bayers Lake area of Halifax, is prohibited.

“And to put that into perspective, that 9.3 km area from the edge of the Bayers Lake fire yesterday would take the no-fly zone all the way up to Bedford, around through to Alderney Landing, includes almost all of the peninsula, all of Springfield, Hatchets Lake, and then into Hubley. So, it is a massive containment area that is now restricted airspace,” says Trevor Bergmann, the president and CEO of AeroVison Canada.

Not only can drones interfere with lifesaving operations, Bergmann says they poses a safety risk.

“What most people don’t understand is it’s going to take you a very long time to bring that drone all the way back down to ground… It doesn’t descend as fast as it went up. It’s a controlled descent. So, thinking that (you can) react to an incoming water bomber and you’ll get out of the way of an aircraft… is impossible,” he says.

“It’s very, very illegal. It’s widely discussed with Transport Canada, Nav Canada, Firefighting Services, Department of Forestry… they all say the same thing. If there’s a fire or an emergency, you cannot fly your drone anywhere near that location.”

Digital anthropologist Giles Crouch calls those who knowingly go against the restrictions “attention seeking.”

“Its incredibly selfish. It’s incredibly inconsiderate and it’s disrespectful for the pilots and the firefighters that are out there trying to put this blaze out. Our province is a tinderbox and these people think they’re an exception to the rule,” he says.

Officials say those who impede the restrictions could face thousands of dollars worth of fines, or jail time.

“Perhaps the penalties do need to be higher. You’re talking about thousands of dollars for an individual and multiples of that when the offender is a corporation or business, maybe it needs to be higher… to have some people made examples of,” says privacy lawyer David Fraser.

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