Fire service urges people with drones to stay away

Drones flown by members of the public are interfering with firefighters as they face an "extremely busy" period of tackling wildfires.

West Midlands Fire Service (WFMS) urged recreational drone users not to fly above their crews or emergency incidents.

On one recent occasion, the service said one of its pilots was directing firefighters to a hotspot using a drone as a marker, but they mistakenly gathered beneath a drone being operated by a member of the public instead.

"Recreational drones flying over an incident can cause confusion, distract crews and hamper our operations," said assistant director of operations Steve Ball.

"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."

He said the service's own drone equipment helped provide a clearer view of what was happening, support decision-making on the ground and helped identify potential dangers to crews.

Using drones meant they could locate hotspots far more quickly than firefighters searching a large area on foot, he said.

"Please give our firefighters and specialist teams the space they need to work safely and effectively," he added.

It follows similar calls from other fire services tackling large wildfires, including an incident where two people had to be rescued after trying to gather footage.

The service also urged caution about publishing material obtained via personal drones.

"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," Ball said.

Anyone flying a drone who becomes aware of an emergency incident nearby was advised to "safely and immediately" stop flying, unless emergency services have given permission for them to continue.

Drone users should also familiarise themselves with the UK Civil Aviation Authority's code of conduct, which includes guidance about flying drones near emergency incidents.

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