Fire chief, not police officer.

does either have any authority over airspace? There seems to be encroachment of local and state powers on the airspace, like for example states passing the laws de-facto prohibiting any meaningful flying of drones. Drones in emergencies like this could have been very useful. Of course, one could immediately say that adding drones, especially if a large number of them, would complicate things - yet it is the obvious catch-22 - why no advanced control system of flying of large number of drones have so far been developed? - because de-facto no drone flying is allowed.

Random individuals flying their drones are a hazard to rescue helicopters and other aircraft.

that is because no drone-incorporating airspace control system exists right now. The question is why such a system is not even in planning stages.

>Random individuals flying their drones are a hazard to rescue helicopters and other aircraft.

Is it so really? In Ukraine war a lot of de-facto random individuals from both sides are flying a lot of drones without pretty much any coordination and control system and in combat conditions, much tougher than civilian emergency, and mostly in FPV mode without direct LOS, frequently at night, yet no drone-helicopter/aircraft collisions have so far been reported (and everybody watching the aircraft and helicopter losses very closely)

> that is because no drone-incorporating airspace control system exists right now. The question is why such a system is not even in planning stages.

There are several approaches to this problem, but it usually requires that the drones are all running compatible control and communication software. e.g. [0] https://www.flytbase.com/blog/drone-disaster-relief

> Is it so really? In Ukraine war a lot of de-facto random individuals from both sides are flying a lot of drones without pretty much any coordination and control system and in combat conditions, much tougher than civilian emergency, and mostly in FPV mode without direct LOS, frequently at night, yet no drone-helicopter/aircraft collisions have so far been reported (and everybody watching the aircraft and helicopter losses very closely)

Those people aren't random, they're part of organised military forces and are part of command and control networks. Troops do reduce certain types of drone activities when they're informed that their own aircraft will be overlying their positions. And that's even though both sides are flying comparatively few helicopter sorties at the front lines because of the constant threat from air defence.

As an aside, there have been collisions, at least one of which was intentional.

[0] https://www.flytbase.com/blog/drone-disaster-relief

>Those people aren't random, they're part of organised military forces and are part of command and control networks.

these C&C networks don't control drones in the air. And most the people in the both fighting forces are mostly random ones really. If they got drones, frequently bought themselves or donated by volunteers - they fly them, if not - then not.

> Troops do reduce certain types of drone activities when they're informed that their own aircraft will be overlying their positions.

I don't know where you heard this. From what i heard - they frequently even can't discern whether this is their drone or an enemy's one.

> these C&C networks don't control drones in the air. And most the people in the both fighting forces are mostly random ones really. If they got drones, frequently bought themselves or donated by volunteers - they fly them, if not - then not.

I didn't say they did. Being part of command and control networks means that troops are informed of air operations by their own side over radio or other communications channels.

> I don't know where you heard this. From what i heard - they frequently even can't discern whether this is their drone or an enemy's one.

From acquaintances and friends in the Ukrainian armed forces on or near the front lines.