Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Glendale) and Senator Ted Gaines (R-El Dorado) announced the passage of SB 168 – legislation aimed to protect forests, property and the lives of citizens, firefighters and emergency personnel from drone interference. The bill is now headed to Governor Brown for consideration. SB 168 will increase fines for drone use that interferes with firefighting and emergency responders.

“This legislation will put the safety of Californians first, and will punish criminals who ignore the safety of our emergency-response professionals and the people they are trying to protect,” Gatto said. “A flying piece of plastic with a camera attached is the last thing a pilot needs to worry about before making a difficult maneuver to make a water drop.”

The bill also seeks to grant civil immunity to any emergency responder who damages an unmanned aircraft in the course of firefighting, air ambulance, or search-and-rescue operations.

This past summer, there were many reports in California that planes were forced to reroute or land, in some cases having to discharge their critical, flame-retardant loads in areas not affected by fire, because a drone had interfered with their drop. Forest Service officials have also voiced concerns that drones could interfere with the deployment and safety of the “smokejumper” crews who parachute into remote wildfire areas.

Gaines and Gatto drafted the emergency legislation even before the string of reports indicating that drones operating over wildfires have interfered with firefighting aircraft.

“To think that someone would interfere with firefighting or emergency response situations to get a sneak peek or to post a drone video on YouTube is an outrage that is deserving of punishment and condemnation,” Gaines said.

Gatto said the current law needs to be updated to deal with the rapid progress of technology. He believes guidelines and safeguards are needed for a new technology that is becoming very popular with Californians.

“When automobile use became widespread, California had to update its laws, too,” Gatto said. “This legislation is the equivalent of the ‘No Parking in front of a fire hydrant’ rule for the age of democratized aviation. It’s time to update our laws as technology keeps advancing.”