This is how drones could disrupt your July 4th holiday on Hilton Head

Drones could shut down fireworks if found flying during Shelter Cove Harbour & Marina’s July 4th celebration, officials said Thursday.

The drones can be a hazard to firework displays in multiple ways, said Brent Fisher, owner of Falcon Fireworks, the company contracted to put on the Shelter Cove show.

“The fireworks operate on a wireless frequency that is exactly the same frequency that drones operate under,” Fisher said. “If a shell happens to run off of the drone’s frequency and it changes the projection it could be devastating.”

Drones could also be struck by a firework causing them to crash into nearby crowds, Fisher said.

Two drones were flying during the finale of a firework show at Shelter Cover Harbour & Marina earlier this week, Fisher said.

“The other night the drones were coming from a boat ramp a mile away,” Fisher said. “Once the finale starts it can’t be stopped because it is automatic.”

If not in the finale, the firework show will be stopped at Shelter Cover if a drone enters the area, Fisher said.

“I don’t want to stop the show but it is for safety purposes,” Fisher said. “We are also bound to operate under the letter of the law and when something breaks our perimeter, we have to stop the show.”

Drones will be banned from the celebration grounds from 10 to 11 p.m. on July 4th, said Karen Kozemchak, Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort director of marketing. The resort is a host of the July 4th celebration.

This story was originally published July 1, 2017 at 1:25 PM with the headline "This is how drones could disrupt your July 4th holiday on Hilton Head."