Wildfire Airspace Protection Act of 2017

“1370. Interference with wildfire suppression, law enforcement, or emergency response effort by operation of unmanned aircraft

“(a) Offense—Except as provided in subsection (b), an individual who operates an unmanned aircraft and in so doing knowingly or recklessly interferes with a wildfire suppression, law enforcement, or emergency response effort shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both.

“(b) Exceptions—This section does not apply to the operation of an unmanned aircraft conducted by a unit or agency of the United States Government or of a State, tribal, or local government (including any individual conducting such operation pursuant to a contract or other agreement entered into with the unit or agency) for the purpose of protecting the public safety and welfare, including firefighting, law enforcement, or emergency response.

“(c) Definitions—In this section, the following definitions apply:

“(1) Wildfire—The term “wildfire” has the meaning given that term in section 2 of the Emergency Wildfire Suppression Act (42 U.S.C. 1856m).

“(2) Wildfire suppression—The term “wildfire suppression” means an effort to contain, extinguish, or suppress a wildfire.”