Drone users warned to avoid flying over emergency scenes in West Mids
The fire service urges drone pilots to stay clear of ongoing incidents
The West Midlands Fire Service has issued a warning to recreational drone users, requesting that they avoid flying drones over firefighters or active emergency incidents.
This follows a busy period for the team, including operational challenges faced by volunteers, fire control staff, and specialist teams, as well as trained drone pilots.
Drones are utilised by the service to support emergency operations, acting as an essential tool for incident commanders.
These drones offer an aerial perspective, aiding decision-making, monitoring incident developments, identifying potential risks to firefighters, and pinpointing fire hotspots, which enhances the safety of crew members while also reducing the need for ground searches.
Unfortunately, unauthorised drones can lead to confusion and hinder firefighting efforts. In one particular incident, firefighters mistakenly gathered under a recreational user's drone instead of the service’s drone, after being directed by a pilot to locate a hotspot.
“Please support us by keeping well away from emergencies and never flying above our firefighters or the scene," Area Commander Steve Ball, Assistant Director of Operations at WMFS, said.
Ball added: “Our drones are an extremely valuable operational tool. They provide incident commanders with a clearer view of what is happening, support decision-making on the ground, help us identify potential dangers to crews and can locate hotspots far more quickly than firefighters searching a large area on foot.
"But recreational drones flying over an incident can cause confusion, distract crews, and hamper our operations.
"We understand that people may be interested in what is happening, but we ask drone users to support our work by keeping well away from emergency incidents and never flying above our firefighters or the scene.
"We also ask anyone publishing, broadcasting, or sharing footage of an incident to ensure that it has been obtained lawfully and safely, without interfering with emergency service operations.
"Please give our firefighters and specialist teams the space they need to work safely and effectively.”
Drone users who find themselves near an emergency should stop flying immediately unless they have been granted permission to continue by the emergency services.
For guidelines on flying drones near emergency incidents, users are encouraged to consult the Civil Aviation Authority’s Drone and Model Aircraft Code.