{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://curtis.house.gov/press-releases/curtis-huffman-introduce-bipartisan-legislation-to-highlight-dangers-of-unauthorized-drones-near-wildfire/", "Curtis, Huffman Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Highlight Dangers of Unauthorized Drones Near Wildfire", "2019-11-13", "2019", "2019-11", "Republican", "House", "UT", "John Curtis", "C001114", "curtis.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, DCThis week, Representatives John Curtis (R-UT) and Jared Huffman\n(D-CA) introduced the AerialIncursion Repercussion (AIR) Safety\nAct, bipartisan legislation to raise awareness on issues interfering with\nwildfire fighting by directing the Bureau of Land Management and the USDA\nForest Service to conduct a study on how drone trespassing has affected\nwildfire suppression and costs. \nWhen wildfire breaks out, our brave firefighters need to protect\nlives and property. When unauthorized drones enter a wildfire area,\nfirefighters must ground helicopters and their own dronesboth critical\ncomponents to wildland firefightinguntil the drone is removed. This means that\nfar too often valuable time and resources are spent removing civilian drones\ninstead of containing and suppressing fire, said Curtis. That is why I am proud to introduce the\nAerial Incursion Repercussion (AIR) Safety Act with my friend Mr. Huffman, to\nstudy how private drones flown near wildfire hinders suppression efforts and\nstart looking at solutions that will help deter and remove unauthorized drones.\nI am confident that this will spur a much needed discussion on the state of our\nforests and how we can better manage them to reduce the risk of fire and the\ndamage they cause.\nWildfires\nhave caused enormous devastation to families, businesses, and communities in my\ndistrict. The idea that anyone would interfere with the heroic efforts of\nfirefighters and other first responders is unthinkable, said Huffman. The AIR Safety Act is an important step in addressing the challenges\nand safety risks posed by unlawful drone interference and ensuring first\nresponders are able to do their jobs and protect lives and homes.\nStatement of Support:\nGreg Josten, National Association of State Foresters President; South Dakota State Forester: We already know that flying personal drones\nwherewildland firefighters are\nactivelysuppressingwildfiresputs the civilian operator,\ntheirneighbors, and wildland firefighting personnel in danger.The\nslogan is true, and state forestry agencies know it all too well:If you fly, we can't. Now, it's time\ntoquantifyallthe deleterious effects of drone incursions\nonwildfire fighting airspace. With hard numbers to support\nneededchange, we'll be better positioned toprevent costly delays\nand shutdownsand protectbothproperty andlives.\nBrian Cottam, Utah State Forester: In\nUtah, we have seen drone incursions continue to endanger firefighter and public\nsafety. Congressman Curtis's AIR Safety Act is a step in the right direction to\nreveal the extent of drone disruption in wildfire suppression and help put a\nstop to this dangerous behavior.\nBackground:\n The Federal Aviation Administration sets Temporary      Flight Restrictions (TFRs) around wildfires. Although laws exist      prohibiting interference with wildfire fighting, many people fly their      private drones within TFRs to take pictures and videos of the fire.When unauthorized drones enter TFRs, events known as drone incursions, all aerial firefighting tools  including helicopters dropping flame retardant  must be grounded, resulting in valuable time and money being wasted that could otherwise be used to      suppress the fire and save lives and property. The bipartisan AIR Safety Act will bring attention to this issue and help determine the best ways to avoid future drone incursions. \n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://curtis.house.gov/press-releases/curtis-huffman-introduce-bipartisan-legislation-to-highlight-dangers-of-unauthorized-drones-near-wildfire/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.297367202118039, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}