NASAR Position Paper on Unmanned Aerial Systems
UNMANNED AERIAL SYSTEMS
Position Paper
NASAR provides advocacy on Search and Rescue (SAR) issues for the international SAR profession and community of responders. This paper presents the NASAR position regarding the use of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), also referred to as drones, in SAR.
There are clear current and future benefits of incorporating UAS in SAR missions. NASAR supports the use of UAS by agencies and organizationswhen operated in accordance with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations, policies and guidelines. We believe that operations must be within an incident command system and adhere to local, state, and federal laws and regulations with respect to safety and privacy as well as SAR best practices. Operating UAS outside of the legal framework places the agencies, supporting organizations and individuals, and the UAS community at risk of legal, political, and public relations repercussions.
The government at federal, state, tribal, and local levels is ultimately responsible for the safety and security of its citizens. In search and rescue, this responsibility, and the related authority, is typically delegated through a variety of mechanisms to state and local public safety entities.The legal Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) is required to comply with FAA regulations with respect to UAS.These authorities are held to high standards and must comply with the law and regulations or face legal challenges and increased public scrutiny.
SAR organizations that are not organized under the auspices of a federal, state, tribal, territorial or local jurisdiction also use UAS to support SAR operations. All SAR operations should be conducted using an Incident Command System. The AHJ is ultimately responsible for all aspects of the operation and all cooperating agencies, organizations, and individuals must comply with the same regulations imposed on the AHJ. As a general rule, all data collected by any UAS operator belongs to the AHJ and may be released only with the permission of the AHJ.
The FAA Regulations governing the use of small UAS are contained in Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 107.
Search and Rescue is an emergency, and one that is managed by designated authorities using well-established processes. Well-meaning individuals or organizations operating outside of these structures often distract from or interfere with the emergency operations. In the worst case, these individuals compromise their own safety, the safety of responders and the public, forcing the emergency responders to shift their attention from the primary mission.
The current system is imperfect and volatile as the public, private entities, and the government address many issues associated with the integration of UAS in the National Airspace System. NASAR will continue to represent the interests of SAR professionals through advocacy, education, presentations, and partnerships. We welcome public input and public discourse on this topic to ensure accurate and broad representation of SAR professionals here and abroad.
NASAR is aninternational professional association representing Search and Rescue personnel around the world. We seek to provide the highest quality education, certification and advocacy possible. NASAR uses standards from respected international bodies to build education courseware, publications, and certifications. Government agencies, non-government organizations, community based organizations, and non-profit SAR teams use NASAR's material and certifications to build credentialing programs for their organizations and produce highly skilled searchers that work within their communities and are available for mutual aid regionally and nationally.
For more information please contact either:
David Kovar, NASAR Advocacy Director
Christopher Boyer, NASAR Executive DirectorFebruary 2017