DNR: Drones a danger to firefighting aircraft

Concerned about the threat unmanned aircraft pose to firefighting planes, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has some new restrictions for pilots fighting wildfires this busy season.

If an unmanned aircraft, or drone, is spotted flying over a wildfire, DNR safety rules will now force firefighting planes and helicopters to disengage, leaving ground crews to fight the blaze alone until the drone is grounded.

The new regulations are meant to prevent collisions between aircraft and drones, said Bill Schuster, the DNR wildfire aviation supervisor who wrote the new regulations.

For years Schuster has watched the private drone industry with trepidation, worried that the airspace over wildfires might become crowded with drones. But Schuster didn't consider drafting specific protocols until Andover Fire Chief Jerry Streich decided to take his drone for a test flight.

On March 28, Streich was flying his drone — a small DJI Phantom quadcopter with a video camera slung beneath — in a friend's back yard near Elk River.

While the drone was in midflight, he noticed a plume of smoke coming from a grass fire in the distance and figured it was his chance to test an idea he'd been kicking around.

Streich wondered if his drone's-eye view could be used to fight fires more effectively.

"Once you get it up there, you see a different world," he said, "and you start to apply that to your job."

He flew his Phantom over the fire, took some video and landed the thing. All told, he said the flight only took a few minutes.

Streich sent the video to the Elk River fire chief, who is a friend. Hours later helicopters arrived, dousing the flames from the air.

For Streich, it was proof of concept that a relatively inexpensive drone — he bought his for less than $2,000 — could help firefighters pinpoint the movements of a blaze.

After a local paper wrote about his video, the story found its way to Schuster. For him it was the realization of a fear wildfire fighters have had for years.

"I'm ready to retire in a few years," Schuster said. "I was kind of hoping the issue would stay away for that long."

The sort of drones Schuster worries about might not seem threatening. Streich's Phantom is only a few pounds of white plastic — not an obvious problem for the sort of heavy aircraft used to dump water on wildfires.

But Schuster said those small drones have incredibly dense batteries and tend to fly at the same altitude as firefighting helicopters. A collision, he said could be catastrophic.

As drones become easier and cheaper to get, the odds of running into one over a wildfire increase.

Calling off air support when drones are spotted is a necessary precaution Schuster said, but more property will burn as crews wait for the drone to land.

"My priority has to be the safety of the firefighters," he said.

The DNR recently asked drone pilots to keep their craft at least five miles away from active fire zones. The advantage of a bird's-eye view, Schuster said, is outweighed by the risks.

State Sen. Scott Dibble, DFL-Minneapolis, recently drafted a bill limiting the use of drones by law enforcement. But the bill does not apply to fire departments, he said.