FAA - "interfering with emergency response operations"

[philsmith76]

With the recent Hurricane coverage there is countless drone videos showing damage. The faa recently sends all the 107s the email reminders about "$20,000 and civil penalities if they interfere with emergency response operations"

I have always wondered about this and worried I could be flying in area where police/first responder activity could happen during a flight. I mean if there is a police/first responder activity a 1/2 mile away or 10 miles away what does "interfere" mean? I do realize that if a police/trauma helicopter is inbound/outbound or a fire reponse aircraft is in the area that flying is a no go.

How does the FAA define "interfere"? would these videos be "interfering"? Does "interfering" refer to when a police/trauma helicopter is inbound/outbound or a fire reponse aircraft etc?

At the same time Dronebase and countless other companies are setting up pilots to fly inspections etc in distaster areas. How can they?

Use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems During Hurricane Florence Response and Recovery Operations "Flying a drone without authorization in or near the disaster area may unintentionally disrupt rescue operations and violate federal, state, or local laws and ordinances"

 

[BigAl07]

Does the sUAS cause any change in Emergency Response operations? if YES then interfering... if NO then not actually interfering. But... (there's always a BUT) if the sUAS is noticed and it's within the Emergency Response Area of Operation then odds are it's going to get attention even if Air Ops are not immediately in the area.

 

[philsmith76]

This page actually adds a little more detail to the faa’s view of “interfering”

FAA Targets UAS Violators for Enforcement
“operates a drone and deliberately or recklessly interferes with wildfire suppression, law enforcement, or emergency response efforts.”....” A drone flying over a crime scene or accident site can hamper police or medical aircraft operations.”

 

[LUIS MARTINEZ]

With the recent Hurricane coverage there is countless drone videos showing damage. The faa recently sends all the 107s the email reminders about "$20,000 and civil penalities if they interfere with emergency response operations"

I have always wondered about this and worried I could be flying in area where police/first responder activity could happen during a flight. I mean if there is a police/first responder activity a 1/2 mile away or 10 miles away what does "interfere" mean? I do realize that if a police/trauma helicopter is inbound/outbound or a fire reponse aircraft is in the area that flying is a no go.

How does the FAA define "interfere"? would these videos be "interfering"? Does "interfering" refer to when a police/trauma helicopter is inbound/outbound or a fire reponse aircraft etc?

At the same time Dronebase and countless other companies are setting up pilots to fly inspections etc in distaster areas. How can they?

Use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems During Hurricane Florence Response and Recovery Operations "Flying a drone without authorization in or near the disaster area may unintentionally disrupt rescue operations and violate federal, state, or local laws and ordinances"

Unless you are a part of the emergency response and your flights have been requested, best to stay away and out of trouble.

 

[Mr. I]

I would stay away from areas like that. Why would you want to risk getting fined ? It's not just getting in the way of the manned aircrafts, but the signals our drones make. those can interfere with their operations.

At the same time Dronebase and countless other companies are setting up pilots to fly inspections etc in distaster areas. How can they?

They are in some kind of contract with the FAA and DOT I think. I get emails from them about helping in SAR operations.