Reports of a drone flying near the helipad at the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance yesterday morning have police concerned.
Officers attended the area after the 7 a.m. phone call, but couldn’t find the drone or its operator.
Const. Jason Herder, a drone operator for the Chatham-Kent Police Service, reminds everyone you can’t legally operate a drone near a place where aircraft take off and land.
“Regulations surrounding the legal and safe operations of drones in Canada prohibit the use of drones closer than 5.6 km from any place that aircraft takeoff and land,” he said in a media release. “In the case of the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance, which is for helicopters only, this radius is reduced to 1.9 km. Drone safety starts with the operators of these devices; please take the time to read and understand the drone legislation and the rules and regulations that come with the privilege of operating this technology.”
Dave Gadoury, Manager, Security/Emergency Preparedness at the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance added that flying a drone near the hospital could create a serious safety issue.
“Drone activity near the CKHA helipad can be an incredible danger to our patients and families. The ORNGE flight crew is in and out of CKHA, flying critical patients to receive care at other hospitals, and a drone could impact the safety and emergent needs of the patient. We ask the public to be aware and respectful and please do not fly drones in this area.”
For more information about flying your drone safely and legally, see https://www.tc.gc.ca/en/services/aviation/drone-safety/flying-drone-safely-legally.html
