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Drones Cause Concern Among Firefighters Out West

U.S. Department of Agriculture
A firefighter battles a wildfire this summer in northern California.

A Connecticut firefighter has returned home from fighting wildfires in California and he said unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, are becoming a growing concern. 

When tens of thousands of acres are burning, there is a lot for firefighters to think about. Where to go, where to evacuate, and now, where the drones are flying.

"It is a huge topic of discussion on every incident out there," said Richard Scalora, a member of the Connecticut Wildfire Crew who just led a 20 member team responding to a wildfire in northern California. "It was brought up every morning at our briefing prior to going to work," he continued. "People keep saying, 'If you see these drones let us know.'"

Scalora's team didn't encounter any drones over their fire, but he said they worked with other firefighters who did. He thinks the issue is real. If someone is flying a drone trying to videotape a wildfire, Scarlora said, first responders can't launch helicopters or airplanes to survey a fire or attack and contain it.

"Anytime there's a drone sighted they're going to stop flying," he said. "They don't want any aircraft in the area, so if there is a drone identified, all air operations stop."

In their latest deployment, the Connecticut Wildfire crew spent over two weeks in California. Scalora said they ran containment lines around homes and small communities, working to clear brush and vegetation. They also dug trenches to slow down fires.

"We were actually the third hand crew to be put onto this assignment," he said. "We were doing a lot of the forefront work getting everything ready for 'burn out' operations. Putting in these contingency lines to try to put a box around the fire."

Scalora said the fire he was sent to combat isn't expected to be contained until late October. He expects the Connecticut Wildfire Crew to be called back out West in the coming weeks.

Patrick Skahill is a reporter and digital editor at Connecticut Public. Prior to becoming a reporter, he was the founding producer of Connecticut Public Radio's The Colin McEnroe Show, which began in 2009. Patrick's reporting has appeared on NPR's Morning Edition, Here & Now, and All Things Considered. He has also reported for the Marketplace Morning Report. He can be reached at pskahill@ctpublic.org.

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