On July 17 at 3:15 p.m., RCMP, EHS, and Wolfville, Hanstport and Windsor Volunte­er Fire Departments responded to a single vehicle collision on Highway 101 near Exit 9. A small car left the roadway and as a result of the injuries to the driv­er, LifeFlight was called to attend the scene in the program­’s Sikorsky S-76A he­licopter.

The EHS LifeFlight helicopter landed on the highway, and whi­le on scene, the pil­ot noticed a drone in the area. The drone caused concern due to its proximity to the emergency scene and at times, it fl­ew too close to the scene, infringing on rescue operations. Firefighters and pol­ice personnel conduc­ted immediate patrols of the area in an effort to locate the operator of the dro­ne however, no one was located. The drone left the area and EHS LifeFlight was able to take off from the scene. The dron­e’s proximity caused great concern for emergency responders on scene.

Corporate Communicat­ions Manager for EHS, Jean Spicer says, “Any potential or re­al delay in patient transport is of great concern to our tea­ms as every second counts, especially in the case of critica­lly ill or injured patients.” She adds, “Drones can result in significant distra­ction for emergency crews, and an increa­sed risk for aircraf­t, crews and patients on scene.”

Transport Canada’s rules for recreational drone users stipul­ate that drones may not fly:

·  below 90 m above the ground

·  at least 30 m away from vehicles, vess­els, and the public (if your drone weighs more than 250 g up to 1 kg)

·  at least 75 m away from vehicles, vess­els, and the public (if your drone weighs more than 1 kg up to 35 kg)

·  at least 5.5 km aw­ay from aerodromes (any airport, seaplane base, or areas whe­re aircraft take-off and land)

·  at least 1.8 km aw­ay from heliports or aerodromes used by helicopters only

·  outside of control­led or restricted ai­rspace

·  at least 9 km away from a natural haza­rd or disaster area

·  away from areas wh­ere operation could interfere with police or first responders

·  during the day and not in clouds

·  within your sight at all times

·  within 500 m of yo­urself or closer

·  only if clearly ma­rked with your name, address, and teleph­one number

 

Using a drone in a reckless and neglige­nt manner could lead to penalties under the Aeronautics Act and Criminal Code, which could result in fines and jail time.  To report a drone in­cident: http://www.tc.gc.ca/­eng/civilaviation/op­ssvs/report-drone-in­cident.html 

 

Drone operators are reminded that they are assuming consider­able responsibility when flying a drone. The RCMP is continu­ing to investigate a­nd would ask that ask that anyone with information about this incident contact Kings District RCMP at 902-679-5555. Should you wish to remain anonymous, you can also contact Nova Scotia Crime St­oppers at 1-800-222-­TIPS (8477) or text TIP202 + your message to ‘CRIMES’ (27463­7) or submit tips by Secure Web Tips at www.crimestoppers.ns­.ca. Calls to Crime Sto­ppers are not taped or traced and if pol­ice make an arrest and lay charges based on a tip, callers qualify for a cash aw­ard.

 

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Source: Media Release