HR6618-119

What This Bill Does

The Wildfire Aerial Response Safety Act directs the FAA Administrator to study drone or unmanned aircraft system incursions during wildfire suppression. The bill defines the covered airspace as airspace where FAA has issued a temporary flight restriction because of a wildfire. The House-reported version uses the title 49 definitions for counter-UAS system and unmanned aircraft system, while earlier text describes privately owned drones and specific counter-drone tools.

The FAA must consult with the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, because the study covers wildfire suppression on land managed by Interior or USDA. For each of the five most recent calendar years, the study must determine the number of drone or UAS incursions that interfered with wildfire suppression and estimate the effect on time to complete suppression, delays in deploying aerial firefighting response units, and federal spending. The study must evaluate prevention options, including educational materials and deployment of approved counter-UAS systems by authorized entities. A report is due to Congress within 18 months.

Who Benefits and How

Aerial firefighting crews benefit if the study leads to fewer drones in temporary flight restriction airspace and fewer grounded aircraft during wildfires. Wildfire incident commanders benefit from better data on how incursions delay suppression and aerial response. Communities threatened by wildfires benefit if prevention measures reduce suppression delays. FAA UAS safety staff benefit from a congressional mandate to quantify the problem and evaluate prevention tools. Forest Service wildfire managers and Interior wildfire managers benefit from federal attention to drone incursions on lands they manage. Authorized counter-UAS operators benefit if the study validates detection or mitigation deployments during wildfire operations.

Who Bears the Burden and How

FAA UAS integration staff must lead the study and report within 18 months. Interior wildfire staff must provide incident data and consultation. Forest Service wildfire staff must provide suppression-delay and aerial-response information. Recreational drone pilots may face more education, restrictions, or counter-UAS enforcement during wildfire temporary flight restrictions. Federal budget analysts must estimate amounts expended by the federal government due to incursions.

Key Provisions

• Defines drone or unmanned aircraft system incursions in wildfire temporary flight restriction airspace.
• Requires FAA to conduct the study with Interior and USDA Forest Service consultation.
• Requires five-year data on incursions that interfered with wildfire suppression.
• Requires estimates of suppression-time delays, aerial-response delays, and federal costs.
• Requires evaluation of educational materials and approved counter-UAS systems.
• Requires a congressional report within 18 months.