SPOKANE, Wash. — The same FBI-led task force that kept drones away from Seattle World Cup matches has been deployed to Spokane, where firefighters are battling devastating wildfires.
That newly formed task force honed its skills by stopping drones that could have been potentially used by terrorists or others to target crowds.
Now, it’s in Spokane to keep drones from interrupting firefighters.
“We are done playing games with this,” said Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels on Monday. “We had four cases where we had drones directly (Sunday) in the path of firefighting apparatus from the air.”
The FAA temporarily restricts airspace in areas where firefighting crews are using helicopters and planes to drop water or fire retardants on the flames. For safety reasons, when drones enter that restricted airspace, firefighting aircraft must land.
But Nowels had a warning for drone operators.
“We have an FBI task force for counter-drone measures here in place.”
King County Sgt. Jason Stanley is on that task force, which is comprised of local, state, and federal agents.
The team was put together before the FIFA World Cup to keep drones away from crowds at matches.
“FIFA was a wonderful opportunity for us to learn,” Stanley said. “And then we went right from FIFA to Seafair and before the last jet landed at Seafair, we were on our way to Spokane County to help here.”
He says the task force detects and interrupts the drones in restricted airspace.
“So that can be radar or radio frequency detectors and different ways to mitigate- whether it’s taking control of a drone or confusing a drone.”
They also deploy ground crews to find pilots operating the drones.
He said the task force has detected 26 unmanned aircraft since Sunday and has contacted four drone operators who could face felony charges and fines.
Sheriff Nowels, confirmed, “We have cases that we have referred to the FAA for $100,000 fines each for being in that zone because they are actively disrupting firefighting efforts.”
Stanley says drone operators can avoid the fines and legal trouble by checking the FAA website to find out when and where airspace is restricted.
More importantly, keeping the airspace clear keeps firefighting aircraft working, when minutes count.
“Losing a half hour losing an hour when the fires encroaching on these neighborhoods can mean the difference between a dozen or two dozen families losing their homes or not.”
Word is getting out. He says there were no drones detected in restricted airspace Tuesday.
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