Drones For Firefighting
As drone technology is advancing, new uses of drones are similarly arising almost every day. Here are a number of articles about the use of drones to assist in fighting fires.
- Five Drone Technologies for Firefighting
- Detroit may use drones to fight fires, respond to emergencies
- Lockheed Martin tests firefighting drone helicopter at Griffiss International Airport
Putting aside the obvious benefits of using drone-mounted devices to assist in emergency response, such use presents some interesting legal questions that are as yet unresolved in California:
- Is the video a public record under the California Public Records Act?
- What if the video captures pictures or sound recordings of information that arguably is private, or contains Personal Identifiable Information?
- Is a fire district, or other fire fighting agency, liable for damages or injury caused by the drone use?
- Could private drone use, for instance by the media, interfere with a public emergency responder’s use, and what are the First Amendment rights to use a drone in a situation where a public drone is already being used?
Stay tuned…