On January 27, 2017, police in Pacifica, California arrested a drone operator for allegedly flying a drone near the scene of a helicopter rescue, which effectively delayed the rescue operation. Police and fire rescue responded to a rescue call for a person who had fallen off a cliff. At the scene, the rescue team decided to have a helicopter respond to conduct a long-line rescue of the person who had fallen. When the helicopter arrived at the scene, it illuminated the person below the cliff and lowered a medic down to provide care. However, shortly after the operation began, the team noticed a drone hovering nearby. The drone moved around the area, often coming very close to the helicopter, and once the helicopter crew knew of the drone on the scene, it had to suspend the rescue operation and increase its altitude to avoid collision. Police were able to locate the drone operator nearby. The man was arrested for impeding first responders at the scene of an emergency. This story should be another lesson for drone operators: know your airspace before you fly and never interfere with emergency operations.
