The bill requires a study on the impact of drone incursions on wildfire suppression by the Federal Aviation Administration in consultation with the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture. The study will assess occurrences of drone interference, their effects on suppression efforts, and evaluate the dissemination of educational materials and deployment of counter-drone systems. A report with findings and recommendations must be submitted to specific congressional committees within 18 months of the bill's enactment. The bill aims to understand and address the disruptions caused by drone activities during wildfire suppression operations.
Wildfire Aerial Response Safety Act
This bill directs the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to study the effects of unmanned aircraft system (i.e., drone) incursions on wildfire suppression on public lands.
Specifically, the FAA must study drone operations in any airspace for which the FAA issued a temporary flight restriction because of a wildfire on land managed by the Departments of Agriculture or the Interior. Among other things, the study must determine the number of occurrences over the last five years in which a drone incursion interfered with wildfire suppression and estimate the effects of each occurrence.
The study must also evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of (1) deploying counter-drone systems to detect, mitigate, and prevent drone incursions during wildfire suppression operations; and (2) disseminating educational materials related to the effects of the incursions on wildfire suppression operations.
The FAA must submit a report to Congress on the study's findings and any related recommendations.
