{"id":197915,"date":"2017-12-13T16:10:46","date_gmt":"2017-12-13T06:10:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=197915"},"modified":"2020-08-13T18:00:27","modified_gmt":"2020-08-13T08:00:27","slug":"drones-and-hospitals-dont-mix","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2017\/12\/13\/drones-and-hospitals-dont-mix\/","title":{"rendered":"Drones And Hospitals Don’t Mix"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Health Minister Dr Steven Miles<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

December 13, 2017<\/strong><\/p>\n

Queensland Health has launched a campaign to remind adults and children that drones must not be flown near hospitals.<\/p>\n

Health Minister Steven Miles said drones can pose a serious risk, especially to emergency helicopters flying in and out of hospitals.<\/p>\n

\u201cChristmas is a really busy time for our hospitals \u2013 we\u2019ll often have up to 500 patients arrive by helicopter over the holiday season and ensuring the pilots can get them to the critical care they need swiftly and safety is vital,\u201d Mr Miles said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis campaign aims to educate drone pilots about their responsibilities and remind them not to fly within a five kilometre radius of any hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n

(A five kilometre radius around Kingaroy Hospital would eliminate most of Kingaroy township.)<\/p>\n

Trevor Wilson, from QGAir, said there have been several occasions over the past few years, where aeromedical crews have seen drones flying while responding to a mission.<\/strong><\/p>\n

QGAir operates the Rescue 500 helicopter which regularly flies into Kingaroy Hospital.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of our aircraft have had to take extra measures to avoid drones which have been hovering near helicopter landing pads,\u201d Mr Wilson said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen it\u2019s life or death for some of our patients, there\u2019s no time to wait for a drone to clear the area.”<\/p>\n

Peter Gibson, from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), said it was important to know where drones can be flown safely in Queensland.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cFollow the rules and have fun, but remember it is the responsibility of everyone flying a drone to stick to the safety rules at all times,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe rules are simple but vitally important to keep people, aircraft and property safe from drones. The rules are enforced and fines can be up to $10,000.\u201d<\/p>\n

CASA warns that\u00a0 drones must be operated in accordance with safety regulations, in particular:<\/strong><\/p>\n