THE Country Fire Authority is calling for greater awareness among users of drones in fire danger areas.
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The Civil Aviation Safety Authority estimates thousands of remotely-piloted aircraft systems are flown for personal and commercial use in Victoria.
District 2 operations officer Chris Jacobsen said drones posed a dangerous threat to helicopter operators in fire areas.
"Firebombing by nature means (the helicopters) fly at a very low altitude which is a threat in itself," he said.
"If anything goes wrong they have much less time to correct it. If the operators of the CFA helicopters see the RPA in the area they are required to land."
Drones can purchased from retail and online stores.
Bendigo cameraman Julian Fisher said it was important CASA maintained the education and regulation of drones.
A standard base-level drone has rotating blades on four arms and is capable of flying upwards until the battery runs out.
"Most owners are being responsible but as the drones get cheaper and cheaper it gets more dangerous," Mr Fisher said.
He said many of the cheaper drones did not have fail safe technology.
"Without this they can accelerate upwards as long as the battery lasts," he said.
"When they go up above the clouds the operator can easily lose control if not experienced."
Mr Fisher said technology to prevent a drone from flying above 400 metres was available to download online.
CASA spokesperson Peter Gibson said rural use of recreational drones was under review.
He said a small drone could bring down a helicopter if it collided with the tail rotor.
Mr Gibson said bushfire sites were never an appropriate place for a drone.
"The bushfire fighting authorities themselves will ground their aircraft if they see a drone," he said.
Mr Gibson said the grounding of a helicopter put people at risk as there was less control over a fire front.
CASA can prosecute or issue a warrant if a person breaches a regulation.