GOV FIRE OBSERVATION ACFT FLIES LOW ALT SEEKING RTE TO DIRECT GND FIRE APPARATUS TO FIRE LOCATION.

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ACFT SMA ASSIGNED FOR USE IN SPOTTING FOREST FIRES AND OTHER EMER TYPE SITUATIONS. OPERATED BY PLYMOUTH COUNTY; MA; FIRE DEPARTMENTS; WE (MYSELF AND A FIRE DEPT OBSERVER) WERE TOLD TO RESPOND TO A FOREST FIRE AT LOCATION ABOVE. WE DID SO; BUT WERE UNABLE TO PINPOINT EXACT LOCATION FOR RESPONDING FIRE APPARATUS. I FLEW THE ACFT TO A KNOWN GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION (RTE 139 IN MARSHFIELD) AT AN ALT APPROX 500 FT AGL AND FOLLOWED ROADS WHICH THE OBSERVER WAS ABLE TO IDENT USING A ROAD MAP. THIS ENABLED US TO RELAY THE CORRECT RTE TO THE FIRE APPARATUS ON THE GND. IN DOING SO; I INADVERTENTLY FLEW INTO AN AREA THAT WAS MORE THAN SPARSELY POPULATED; ALTHOUGH I WOULD NOT SAY IT WAS CONGESTED. THIS AREA WAS ABOUT 1 MI W OF THE LOCATION ABOVE. ONCE AGAIN OVER THE FIRE I CIRCLED THE AREA FOR APPROX 30 MINS WHILE THE OBSERVER DIRECTED IN FIRE APPARATUS. THE AREA OF THE FIRE WAS AN OPEN FIELD AND FOREST WITH LITTLE POPULATION. AT TIMES MY ALT WAS LOWER THAN 500 FT AGL WHILE WE WERE IDENTING TERRAIN AND A RTE IN THROUGH THE MARSH. AT TIMES I WAS CLOSER THAN 500 FT TO A DWELLING. ALTHOUGH THE OBVIOUS POSSIBLE VIOLATION WOULD APPEAR TO BE OPERATING AN ACFT BELOW MIN SAFE ALTS; UNDERSTAND THAT THE NATURE OF THE PURPOSE OF THE ACFT DICTATES THAT IT BE OPERATED CLOSE TO THE GND. THERE IS SIMPLY NO OTHER WAY TO IDENT GEOGRAPHIC FEATURES SUCH AS FIRE ROADS; STREAMS; OR LOST CHILDREN ETC. ALTHOUGH I MADE EVERY ATTEMPT TO REMAIN WITHIN THE MIN SAFE ALTS; IN SOME CASES THE URGENCY OF THE SITUATION PRECEDED MY ATTN TO THE ALTIMETER. ALSO IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT IT IS/WAS UNDERSTOOD BY MYSELF AND OTHER PLTS WHO OPERATE THIS ACFT FOR THIS PURPOSE THAT A 'LOW ALT WAIVER' EXISTED IN THE EVENT THAT LOW ALT OP WAS REQUIRED. THIS WAS ASSURED BY THE ADMINISTRATION IN CHARGE OF THE OP WAS REQUIRED. THIS WAS ASSURED BY THE ADMINISTRATION IN CHARGE OF THE OP OF THE ACFT. THERE IS; IN FACT; SUCH A DOCUMENT BUT WHETHER OR NOT IT WAIVES FARS IS UNCLR; WHICH IS WHY I AM SUBMITTING THIS STATEMENT. SO; WHILE I WAS AWARE OF MY CLOSE PROX TO THE GND AND FIRE APPARATUS (AND DWELLINGS) I NEVER INTENTIONALLY VIOLATED ANY FAR.