by the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency and the Airtanker Forest Service Safety Board
Photo credit: Jeffery Dawe-CL415 Training Captain, Transportation and Infrastructure, Air Services Division
Last summer, there were numerous occurrences of airspace incursions with private aircraft while fighting forest fires and a similar trend in the previous four years. This adds an added safety risk to fire response personnel and pilot’s regular duties as they not only communicate to the fire response aircraft on the fire, but they also communicate to the lead incident command and operations personnel on the ground. To add additional unauthorized aircraft flying through the fire, adds a serious safety concern to all involved.
Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARs) 601.15 states that:
No person shall operate an aircraft:
- a) over a forest fire area, or over any area that is located within five nautical miles of a forest fire area, at an altitude of less than 3,000 feet AGL; or
- b) in any airspace that is described in a NOTAM issued pursuant to section 601.16
In addition to the itinerant aircraft airspace incursions, agencies across the country continue to see airspace incursions caused by remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) within the defined forest fire area which have the potential to suspend firefighting operations until the airspace incursions can be resolved.
This reminder is in the interest of agencies and operators, to have safe and efficient firefighting operations across Canada. Pilots should check local NOTAMs during the fire season, when they see a fire while flying, they are to report it and remain clear of it to help crews out as they fight the fire.