Emporia Fire and Emporia Police are urging private citizens and members of the media to avoid flying drones near incident sites and to maintain a certain distance from those sites until they are cleared.
The departments issued a joint release Thursday, reminding residents about drone regulations through Federal Aviation Administration Part 107 — which disallows drones over “active emergency scenes, gatherings of people or active roadways.” As grass fire season picks up speed over the next month, residents are also told air tanker crews must have total airspace control and unauthorized drones can keep tankers grounded until the drones are no longer flying.
The departments say recent activity with drones going over active emergency locations creates potential safety risks and drone activity that appears to violate FAA regulations or is considered unsafe will be reported to the federal government. As far as drone use from authorities, Emporia Fire and Emporia Police maintain the right to use that equipment to help with “monitoring and situational awareness.”
Also, local authorities have now announced a 50-foot distance from “the last emergency vehicle parked on scene” for anybody not directly involved in emergency response at an incident site. Authorities say this will help responders secure the area, provide care as need and handle the site “without unnecessary interference.”
Residents with questions are asked to call Emporia Fire or Emporia Police.
