CASA Warning after drone interfers with aerial firefighting

The Bunnings sausage sizzle drone was funny, but illegal.  Much worse though are the fools who think they can fly their drone near a bushfire to get a great photo or video. The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has today reissued their warning regarding drones in bushfire areas after a drone was spotted near operations in Sydney.

The recreational drone was spotted near water bombing operations at a fire in Western Sydney last Friday.  CASA has been issuing warnings about drone use in bushfire areas since 2015, and their simple message is “if you fly – they can’t” referring to the aerial support for bushfire-fighters on the ground.

“Devoted fire fighters put themselves on the line to protect our homes and lives,” says CASA. ‘These local heroes depend on water bombing and aerial support to do their jobs.

‘If you fly your drone anywhere near a fire, you’re not only a fool, but a serious threat and the penalties are severe. So fly responsibly and keep your drone away from the emergency services. Because if you fly, they can’t.’”

Rural Fire Service Inspector Ben Shepherd told the ABC “We don’t want them anywhere near our helicopter or our planes, Even the smaller drones, which some people wouldn’t believe would impact on aircraft, can,’ he says.

‘These helicopters are coming in low, far lower than they would normally fly…in order to pick up water from dams,’ he says. ‘All that has to happen is for that drone to collide with the blades of a helicopter, or even potentially with a plane, it has the possibility of bringing that aircraft down.

‘As much as you might think that it’d be good to take some vision [of the fire], it potentially could be dangerous or even catastrophic for those aircraft,’ says Inspector Shepherd.

CASA has issued 24 infringement notices for breaches of the drone safety rules, nine of them in this year.  Fines can range from $180 up to $9,000 – so if you own a drone, don’t be a drongo.

Fire might make for an impressive photo, but your drone photo might stop a water bombing operation and cause loss of property – or worse.

 

Recent Posts

  • Tech

NBN gets set for the final roll out of Fibre upgrades to another 600,000 homes

The NBN is getting ready to lock in the final stage of the Fibre to…

6 hours ago
  • Motoring

The stunning new BMW iX3 is a vision for the future realised as Neue Klasse comes to market

BMW has revealed the first new model to be designed and engineered under their 2025…

8 hours ago
  • Tech

Best in Smart Home – The SwannBuddy 4K Video Doorbell with AI wins at the IFA Innovation Awards

The SwannBuddy4K Video Doorbell with SwannShield™AI Voice Assistant has been given an Honouree accolade for…

16 hours ago
  • Tech

360 degree security camera coverage and smart AI capabilities come to Reolink security lineup at IFA 2025

Reolink is a bit of an upstart when it comes to home security but having…

18 hours ago
  • Lifestyle

LG unveil its AI plans for your home appliances at IFA 2025

LG has announced its vision for AI-powered living at IFA 2025 under the moniker “LG…

1 day ago
  • Tech

NBA 2K26 review: a hugely popular game just got even better

To say that NBA 2K is an institution is an understatement of significant proportions.  Even…

1 day ago