Fire departments throughout the state have complained about hobby drones that have impeded firefighting efforts in Petaluma, the San Gabriel Mountains, the Cajon Pass and various Southern California brush fires by interfering with water-dropping helicopters and other low-flying aircraft. The Woolsey Fire was no exception.
On Nov. 14, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced it had received several reports from the LA County Fire Department about instances where drones interfered with helicopter firefighting operations during the Woolsey Fire. FAA spokesperson Ian Gregor said they “have been unable to identify who was operating the drones,” but have posted multiple times on Twitter reminding drone operators: “If you fly, firefighters can’t!”
Although the LA County Fire Department acquired drones of its own just over a year ago that were used in the Skirball Fire to assess hot spots and survey the burn areas, none of those drones were deployed in the Woolsey Fire, according to Captain Harmon at Malibu’s Fire Station 70. He cited the tangle of drone regulations that vary from one jurisdiction to another and the bureaucracy as reasons for keeping them grounded most of the time.
Drone hobbyists in the Malibu area should be aware that whether there’s a fire or not, most areas of Malibu are off-limits to drones. Drone flying is now subject to a host of recent federal, state and local laws.
On Sept. 1, 2016, the California State Parks Angeles District banned model aircraft, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS—also known as drones) and gliders in flight from all State Parks properties. This regulation was made official by Craig Sap, district superintendent.
In a phone interview, Sap said State Parks rangers have now been to the Malibu Lagoon area several times, and have asked the nearby county lifeguards to help them enforce the ‘no drones’ policy.
He originally instituted the ban because people were flying drones through campgrounds and visitor areas, as well as remote areas disturbing raptors and other nesting birds. In addition, drones have a battery and can be a fire hazard if lost, not to mention people going off-trail to recover them.
“People come to State Parks to escape urban life and stress, and to enjoy a quiet moment,” Sap said.
The areas of Malibu affected by the State Parks drone ban include Leo Carrillo State Park, Malibu Creek State Park, Malibu Lagoon State Beach, Point Dume State Beach, the Malibu Pier and Robert H. Meyer Memorial State Beach (made up of the La Piedra, El Matador and El Pescador pocket beaches).
The National Park Service (NPS) also has a ban on the use of drones within national parks, including Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Areas.
According to Chuck Almdale of Santa Monica Bay Audubon Society, drones are also illegal along the Malibu coastline between PCH and the ocean, from Topanga Canyon Boulevard to Leo Carrillo State Park.
Drone hobbyists were observed and photographed by members of the Audubon Society illegally flying drones over the Malibu Lagoon State Park on Aug. 31 and again on Sept. 7, 2018—and those were just the days Audubon representatives happened to be present.
The drone pilots were “illegally swooping a drone over the Malibu Lagoon population of state and federally listed threatened Snowy Plovers (one of only seven roosting colonies in LA County and one of only two breeding areas in LA County), and startling them into flight,” Almdale wrote. “When a drone flies anywhere near Snowy Plovers resting or sleeping on the sand between high-tide feeding periods, they perceive it as a predator hawk or falcon and panic.”
“State Parks should do more to let people know where drones are forbidden. Malibu Lagoon and Surfrider Beach are extremely popular with some two million people-visits per year, and they could post “No Drones Allowed” signs at beach entrances,” Almdale advised. “The City of Malibu could also post signs at city limits.
“The snowy plovers are very small; they’re very hard to see due to their cryptic plumage which looks just like the sand they’re resting on, and there are only about 2,500 of them in the world,” he continued. “That’s why they’re state and federally listed as threatened and that’s why there’s a fence around their nesting/roosting area near the Malibu Lagoon.”
The City of Malibu does not have its own drone rules, and goes by federal, state and FAA regulations.
Drones flying in State Parks should be reported to State Parks dispatch at 951.443.2969.
