Senior fire officers are urging the public to follow national drone safety rules after seeing a rise in drones being flown near active emergency scenes.
Nottinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service says it has seen an increase in people attending incidents and operating drones in close proximity to emergency responders, prompting a fresh reminder about the Civil Aviation Authority’s Drone Code.
Flying drones close to, or directly over, emergency incidents is strongly discouraged and, in many cases, unlawful. The Drone Code makes it clear that unmanned aircraft must not be used near areas where emergency services are working unless specific permission has been granted.
Several examples in recent months of drones being flown over emergency incidents while those involved were experiencing what may be the most difficult moments of their lives.
Unauthorised drone activity at incidents can create a significant safety risk and may hinder emergency operations, including:
- preventing or delaying the landing of an air ambulance or other emergency aircraft;
- interfering with the Service’s own operational drone use;
- placing responding crews, casualties, and the wider public at risk.
Flying a drone in these circumstances may constitute a breach of the Drone Code and may be a prosecutable offence.
Recent prosecutions have demonstrated that enforcement action, including fines and the seizure of equipment, can and will be taken where drone use interferes with emergency service operations.
Notably, drone footage taken and shared from emergencies may also compromise the privacy and dignity of the people involved in these incidents. Emergency responders will always consciously consider the sensitivities surrounding incident footage before sharing it.
The Service asks that all members of the public follow the Civil Aviation Authority’s Drone Code and heed the instructions given by emergency responders at the scene, which are often to avoid the area surrounding an active incident completely. These measures are in place solely to protect life, ensure the safety of those involved, and allow emergency services to respond as effectively as possible.
Even popular drones under 250g in weight must not be flown over ‘gatherings’ or ’emergency services incidents.’
Emergency incidents
You must keep out of the way and not fly in any way that could hamper the emergency services when they’re responding to an emergency incident.
If you’re out flying at or near to an emergency incident when it happens, you must safely and immediately stop flying unless the emergency services give you permission to continue.
You must:
- follow any temporary restrictions that are put in place
- take particular care not to hinder any aerial support to the emergency services
- respect and protect the privacy of anyone involved in the emergency
Examples of emergency incidents include road traffic accidents, fires, floods, rescues, and similar events.
- Press or hobby status is no shield, and an incident at the scene itself triggers mandatory occurrence reporting to the AAIB and the CAA.
