Earlier this year, the Federal Aviation Administration proposed new rules that would allow drones to fly overnight and over people without waivers under certain conditions. While the focus of commentary has been the benefit of facilitating the delivery of commercial packages, the proposed rules would free drones to provide life-saving medications, give insight to emergency responders, and monitor wildlife and conservation efforts.

The recent fire at Notre-Dame illustrates the profound value drones can bring. French fire personnel used two drones to direct and apply fire suppression in the historic structure, thereby significantly increasing the effectiveness of firefighting efforts.

The current rules improperly limit a drone’s ability to access locations and collect data. They also increase product costs, as delivery by drone would be much cheaper than delivery by people. Although drones pose ethical and safety challenges, their potential benefit outweighs the risks and is appropriately reflected in the relaxed proposed rules.

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