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FIRE AVIATION
A U.S. Forest Service smoke jumper was seriously injured Monday after a hard landing at a wildfire in New Mexico. Tim Hart of Cody, Wyoming was dispatched to help suppress the Eicks Fire in the Animas Mountains of southeastern New Mexico, nine miles north of the Mexico border. He works out of the jumper base at West Yellowstone, Montana. UPDATE ON THE CAL FIRE C-130 AIR TANKER PROGRAM YouTuber Juan Browne, “blancolirio”, has an update on the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s progress in converting seven former Coast Guard HC-130H aircraft into firefighting air tankers. It was filmed at Sacramento McClellan Airport and posted to YouTube June 28, 2020. Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Dave. Typos Continue reading "Update on the CAL FIRE C69BRAVO ARCHIVES
The video below describes 69Bravo. A video shot during the Topanga Fire September 8, 2020 shows helicopters, sometimes three at a time, refilling at the site hauling a total of 76,000 gallons to the fire. The still image below is from that video. 69Bravo Helistop during LA COUNTY S-70A FIREHAWK HELICOPTER SUFFERS A ROTOR STRIKE One of the S-70A Firehawk helicopters operated by the Los Angeles County Fire Department suffered a rotor strike last week while the personnel were conducting training. Video posted on social media (see below) recorded the event. As Helicopter 16 (N160LA) appeared to be settling down to a landing, a main rotor blade struck a large Continue reading "LA County S-70A Firehawk helicopter VIKING AIR DELAYS ROLLOUT OF CL-515 WATER-SCOOPING AIR When they announced it at the AFF show in Sacramento a few years ago the price was mentioned as $45-$50M.CL-415s ran $35-$40m new, with the new technology and R&D recapture necessary, would be hard to do it for lessgiven the lack of longer term EU contracts from the USDA/DOI (no state could afford to offer a EU contract that would cover a CL-415, let alone a CL-515), there will MILITARY C-130 CREWS TRAIN FOR FIGHTING WILDFIRES MAFFS aircraft at Boise, April 20, 2017. Photo by Bill Gabbert. Military crews and C-130 aircraft are training in Colorado so that they can assist with wildfires. Members of the Air Force Reserve’s 302nd Airlift Wing, Wyoming Air National Guard’s 153rd Airlift Wing, and other firefighting agencies today began a weeklong aerial wildland ROUGH DAY FOR A DC-4 (Originally published at 5:40 p.m. PDT May 10, 2020) Manny D-man 01 sent us this photo of air tanker 15: I was looking through some old photos and ran across a couple you might be interested in. I was a Deputy Sheriff/Detective assigned to an office located down the street from the Fresno Air Terminal. Continue reading "Rough day for a DC-4" MD-87 AIR TANKER LANDS SAFELY AFTER LOSING AN ENGINE The crew declared an emergency and landed at Midland, Texas. Air Tanker 101, an MD-87, at Rapid City December 12, 2017. Photo by Bill Gabbert. A problem with an engine on April 21 resulted in an unscheduled landing for an Erickson Aero Air MD-87 air tanker. While Tanker 101 was returning to Alamogordo, New Mexico after droppingretardant on the
PHOTOS OF TANKER 03 AT CONCEPCIÓN Above: Tanker 03 at Concepción, Chile. Photo by Neptune Aviation. After a Saturday arrival at Santiago, Chile, Neptune’s Tanker 03 relocated south to Concepción where it will be based at least for a while. Judging from the photo below it appears that portable tanks will be used to store water to refill the aircraft. This Continue reading "Photos of Tanker 03 at Concepción" CL-415 SUPER SCOOPER TO BE BASED AT LAKE TAHOE The only water-scooping air tanker that the U.S. Forest Service has under exclusive use contract will be based at Lake Tahoe, California this summer at the South Lake Tahoe Airport. It recently returned from spending several weeks working on wildfires in Alaska. The CL-415 can skim across the surface of a lake and scoop 1,600 gallons of Continue reading "CL-415 Super Scooper to be based atFIRE AVIATION
A U.S. Forest Service smoke jumper was seriously injured Monday after a hard landing at a wildfire in New Mexico. Tim Hart of Cody, Wyoming was dispatched to help suppress the Eicks Fire in the Animas Mountains of southeastern New Mexico, nine miles north of the Mexico border. He works out of the jumper base at West Yellowstone, Montana. UPDATE ON THE CAL FIRE C-130 AIR TANKER PROGRAM YouTuber Juan Browne, “blancolirio”, has an update on the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s progress in converting seven former Coast Guard HC-130H aircraft into firefighting air tankers. It was filmed at Sacramento McClellan Airport and posted to YouTube June 28, 2020. Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Dave. Typos Continue reading "Update on the CAL FIRE C69BRAVO ARCHIVES
The video below describes 69Bravo. A video shot during the Topanga Fire September 8, 2020 shows helicopters, sometimes three at a time, refilling at the site hauling a total of 76,000 gallons to the fire. The still image below is from that video. 69Bravo Helistop during LA COUNTY S-70A FIREHAWK HELICOPTER SUFFERS A ROTOR STRIKE One of the S-70A Firehawk helicopters operated by the Los Angeles County Fire Department suffered a rotor strike last week while the personnel were conducting training. Video posted on social media (see below) recorded the event. As Helicopter 16 (N160LA) appeared to be settling down to a landing, a main rotor blade struck a large Continue reading "LA County S-70A Firehawk helicopter VIKING AIR DELAYS ROLLOUT OF CL-515 WATER-SCOOPING AIR When they announced it at the AFF show in Sacramento a few years ago the price was mentioned as $45-$50M.CL-415s ran $35-$40m new, with the new technology and R&D recapture necessary, would be hard to do it for lessgiven the lack of longer term EU contracts from the USDA/DOI (no state could afford to offer a EU contract that would cover a CL-415, let alone a CL-515), there will MILITARY C-130 CREWS TRAIN FOR FIGHTING WILDFIRES MAFFS aircraft at Boise, April 20, 2017. Photo by Bill Gabbert. Military crews and C-130 aircraft are training in Colorado so that they can assist with wildfires. Members of the Air Force Reserve’s 302nd Airlift Wing, Wyoming Air National Guard’s 153rd Airlift Wing, and other firefighting agencies today began a weeklong aerial wildland ROUGH DAY FOR A DC-4 (Originally published at 5:40 p.m. PDT May 10, 2020) Manny D-man 01 sent us this photo of air tanker 15: I was looking through some old photos and ran across a couple you might be interested in. I was a Deputy Sheriff/Detective assigned to an office located down the street from the Fresno Air Terminal. Continue reading "Rough day for a DC-4" MD-87 AIR TANKER LANDS SAFELY AFTER LOSING AN ENGINE The crew declared an emergency and landed at Midland, Texas. Air Tanker 101, an MD-87, at Rapid City December 12, 2017. Photo by Bill Gabbert. A problem with an engine on April 21 resulted in an unscheduled landing for an Erickson Aero Air MD-87 air tanker. While Tanker 101 was returning to Alamogordo, New Mexico after droppingretardant on the
PHOTOS OF TANKER 03 AT CONCEPCIÓN Above: Tanker 03 at Concepción, Chile. Photo by Neptune Aviation. After a Saturday arrival at Santiago, Chile, Neptune’s Tanker 03 relocated south to Concepción where it will be based at least for a while. Judging from the photo below it appears that portable tanks will be used to store water to refill the aircraft. This Continue reading "Photos of Tanker 03 at Concepción" CL-415 SUPER SCOOPER TO BE BASED AT LAKE TAHOE The only water-scooping air tanker that the U.S. Forest Service has under exclusive use contract will be based at Lake Tahoe, California this summer at the South Lake Tahoe Airport. It recently returned from spending several weeks working on wildfires in Alaska. The CL-415 can skim across the surface of a lake and scoop 1,600 gallons of Continue reading "CL-415 Super Scooper to be based atCANADA ARCHIVES
Dan Gray of Sault Online reports that an air tanker made a wheels-up landing at Sault Ste. Marie Airport in Ontario, Canada at about 12:30 p.m. on May 2. Water bomber 274, a Canadair water scooper, is pictured on the ground with the wheels up, leaning over onto the right side float. From Mr. Gray’s article: UPDATED FOREST SERVICE AIR TANKER SCHEDULE All 13 under contract are expected to be working by May 19. USFS. The U.S. Forest Service has updated their schedule for large air tankers — the last one we had was dated March 14, 2020. This latest April 29 version still does not identify all tankers that will be working. Missing are two Neptune BAe-146s and one Aero Flite RJ85. DC-7 AND 737 AIR TANKERS AT MEDFORD, OREGON Tim Crippin shot these photos of air tankers at Medford, Oregon July 19 and 20, 2020. The DC-7C (N838D) is operated by Erickson Aero Tanker and the B-737 (N137CG) by Coulson Aviation. Here is what Tim told us about the photos: Tanker 60 arrived in Medford on July 19th to begin the final year of Continue reading "DC-7 and 737 air tankers atMedford, Oregon"
EXCELLENT PHOTOS OF TANKER 131 ON THE KAREN FIRE Firefighters battling the Karen Fire near Fontana in southern California July 26 got some excellent photos of air tanker 131 (N-130FF). CAL FIRE and local fire departments made quick work of the blaze that burned 277 acres, mostly in San Bernardino County. The photo at the top of the article reminds me of the opening Continue reading "Excellent photos of Tanker 131 on the Karen Fire" A LOOK AT THE VENTURA COUNTY HELICOPTERS A look at the Ventura County helicopters. The first time that Ventura County Copter 2 was used on a wildfire, June 10, 2020. Photo by John Carman. Ventura County, between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, has an air unit which is a cooperative enterprise of the Fire District and the Sheriff’s Office. The unit has four Bell UH-1 helicopters and ROUGH DAY FOR A DC-4 (Originally published at 5:40 p.m. PDT May 10, 2020) Manny D-man 01 sent us this photo of air tanker 15: I was looking through some old photos and ran across a couple you might be interested in. I was a Deputy Sheriff/Detective assigned to an office located down the street from the Fresno Air Terminal. Continue reading "Rough day for a DC-4"IHOG IS NOW SHO
The book of standards that has governed the use and management of helicopters used by federal land management agencies has changed its name. The 2019 revision of the Interagency Helicopter Operations Guide (IHOG) is now titled Standards for Helicopter Operations (SHO). The document, “establishes the standards by which helicopter operations are to be conducted under MARTA TIMMONS OF NEPTUNE AVIATION PASSED AWAY Marta A. Timmons. Marta Amelia Timmons passed away October 10, 2020. After starting an aircraft charter company and a Fixed Base Operation at the Missoula airport, she purchased Black Hills Aviation and moved it from New Mexico to Missoula, renaming it Neptune Aviation Services. TWO CAL FIRE C-130 AIR TANKERS SPOTTED AT MCCLELLAN May 16, 2020. May 15, 2020 Categories. Fixed wing. Tags. CAL FIRE, T-116, T-118. CAL FIRE air tanker 118 at Sacramento McClellan Airport. Photographed by John Vogel March 4, 2020. John Vogel photographed two of CAL FIRE’s HC-130H soon-to-be-air-tankers. He spotted them at Sacramento McClellan Airport on March 4, 2020. A DESIGN CONCEPT FOR A C-130 WITH FLOATS Tigerfish Aviation has design sketches for a retractable float system that they say can be retrofitted for a variety of aircraft, including military transports. They have an illustration of a C-130J outfitted with floats. We’re not sure how serious Tigerfish is with this idea, but it’s interesting to picture a C-130 air tanker landing on Continue reading "A design concept for a C-130FIRE AVIATION
A U.S. Forest Service smoke jumper was seriously injured Monday after a hard landing at a wildfire in New Mexico. Tim Hart of Cody, Wyoming was dispatched to help suppress the Eicks Fire in the Animas Mountains of southeastern New Mexico, nine miles north of the Mexico border. He works out of the jumper base at West Yellowstone, Montana.69BRAVO ARCHIVES
The video below describes 69Bravo. A video shot during the Topanga Fire September 8, 2020 shows helicopters, sometimes three at a time, refilling at the site hauling a total of 76,000 gallons to the fire. The still image below is from that video. 69Bravo Helistop duringZ-8 ARCHIVES
The Z-8X helicopter operated by the People’s Liberation Army Air Force had been assisting firefighters on the ground by dropping water with an external bucket. It crashed while attempting to refill at the lake. Initially it was reported that the two pilots were killed and there were two missing crewmembers. After a search that involved 16 UPDATED FOREST SERVICE AIR TANKER SCHEDULE All 13 under contract are expected to be working by May 19. USFS. The U.S. Forest Service has updated their schedule for large air tankers — the last one we had was dated March 14, 2020. This latest April 29 version still does not identify all tankers that will be working. Missing are two Neptune BAe-146s and one Aero Flite RJ85. A CL-415EAF WAS USED FOR THE FIRST TIME ON A FIRE NEAR A CL-415EAF was used for the first time on a fire Sunday, July 19. The first CL-415EAF was delivered to Bridger Arospace’s facility in Bozeman, Montana in April, 2020 as part of a contract that with all options exercised is valued at $204 million covering the purchase of six of the amphibious scooping air tankers. Continue reading "A CL-415EAF was used for the first time on a fire near MILITARY C-130 CREWS TRAIN FOR FIGHTING WILDFIRES MAFFS aircraft at Boise, April 20, 2017. Photo by Bill Gabbert. Military crews and C-130 aircraft are training in Colorado so that they can assist with wildfires. Members of the Air Force Reserve’s 302nd Airlift Wing, Wyoming Air National Guard’s 153rd Airlift Wing, and other firefighting agencies today began a weeklong aerial wildland ROUGH DAY FOR A DC-4 (Originally published at 5:40 p.m. PDT May 10, 2020) Manny D-man 01 sent us this photo of air tanker 15: I was looking through some old photos and ran across a couple you might be interested in. I was a Deputy Sheriff/Detective assigned to an office located down the street from the Fresno Air Terminal. Continue reading "Rough day for a DC-4" EXCELLENT PHOTOS OF TANKER 131 ON THE KAREN FIRE Firefighters battling the Karen Fire near Fontana in southern California July 26 got some excellent photos of air tanker 131 (N-130FF). CAL FIRE and local fire departments made quick work of the blaze that burned 277 acres, mostly in San Bernardino County. The photo at the top of the article reminds me of the opening Continue reading "Excellent photos of Tanker 131 on the Karen Fire" LA COUNTY S-70A FIREHAWK HELICOPTER SUFFERS A ROTOR STRIKE One of the S-70A Firehawk helicopters operated by the Los Angeles County Fire Department suffered a rotor strike last week while the personnel were conducting training. Video posted on social media (see below) recorded the event. As Helicopter 16 (N160LA) appeared to be settling down to a landing, a main rotor blade struck a large Continue reading "LA County S-70A Firehawk helicopterJIM BARNES ARCHIVES
The 747, T-944, drops near Santiago Peak August 8, 2018 on the Holy Fire in Southern California. Credit: Evver G. Photography. The article below is written by Jim Barnes, a former pilot of CAL FIRE S-2T air tankers. It is a low-down dirty shame that the decision wasFIRE AVIATION
A U.S. Forest Service smoke jumper was seriously injured Monday after a hard landing at a wildfire in New Mexico. Tim Hart of Cody, Wyoming was dispatched to help suppress the Eicks Fire in the Animas Mountains of southeastern New Mexico, nine miles north of the Mexico border. He works out of the jumper base at West Yellowstone, Montana.69BRAVO ARCHIVES
The video below describes 69Bravo. A video shot during the Topanga Fire September 8, 2020 shows helicopters, sometimes three at a time, refilling at the site hauling a total of 76,000 gallons to the fire. The still image below is from that video. 69Bravo Helistop duringZ-8 ARCHIVES
The Z-8X helicopter operated by the People’s Liberation Army Air Force had been assisting firefighters on the ground by dropping water with an external bucket. It crashed while attempting to refill at the lake. Initially it was reported that the two pilots were killed and there were two missing crewmembers. After a search that involved 16 UPDATED FOREST SERVICE AIR TANKER SCHEDULE All 13 under contract are expected to be working by May 19. USFS. The U.S. Forest Service has updated their schedule for large air tankers — the last one we had was dated March 14, 2020. This latest April 29 version still does not identify all tankers that will be working. Missing are two Neptune BAe-146s and one Aero Flite RJ85. A CL-415EAF WAS USED FOR THE FIRST TIME ON A FIRE NEAR A CL-415EAF was used for the first time on a fire Sunday, July 19. The first CL-415EAF was delivered to Bridger Arospace’s facility in Bozeman, Montana in April, 2020 as part of a contract that with all options exercised is valued at $204 million covering the purchase of six of the amphibious scooping air tankers. Continue reading "A CL-415EAF was used for the first time on a fire near MILITARY C-130 CREWS TRAIN FOR FIGHTING WILDFIRES MAFFS aircraft at Boise, April 20, 2017. Photo by Bill Gabbert. Military crews and C-130 aircraft are training in Colorado so that they can assist with wildfires. Members of the Air Force Reserve’s 302nd Airlift Wing, Wyoming Air National Guard’s 153rd Airlift Wing, and other firefighting agencies today began a weeklong aerial wildland ROUGH DAY FOR A DC-4 (Originally published at 5:40 p.m. PDT May 10, 2020) Manny D-man 01 sent us this photo of air tanker 15: I was looking through some old photos and ran across a couple you might be interested in. I was a Deputy Sheriff/Detective assigned to an office located down the street from the Fresno Air Terminal. Continue reading "Rough day for a DC-4" EXCELLENT PHOTOS OF TANKER 131 ON THE KAREN FIRE Firefighters battling the Karen Fire near Fontana in southern California July 26 got some excellent photos of air tanker 131 (N-130FF). CAL FIRE and local fire departments made quick work of the blaze that burned 277 acres, mostly in San Bernardino County. The photo at the top of the article reminds me of the opening Continue reading "Excellent photos of Tanker 131 on the Karen Fire" LA COUNTY S-70A FIREHAWK HELICOPTER SUFFERS A ROTOR STRIKE One of the S-70A Firehawk helicopters operated by the Los Angeles County Fire Department suffered a rotor strike last week while the personnel were conducting training. Video posted on social media (see below) recorded the event. As Helicopter 16 (N160LA) appeared to be settling down to a landing, a main rotor blade struck a large Continue reading "LA County S-70A Firehawk helicopterJIM BARNES ARCHIVES
The 747, T-944, drops near Santiago Peak August 8, 2018 on the Holy Fire in Southern California. Credit: Evver G. Photography. The article below is written by Jim Barnes, a former pilot of CAL FIRE S-2T air tankers. It is a low-down dirty shame that the decision was UPDATED FOREST SERVICE AIR TANKER SCHEDULE All 13 under contract are expected to be working by May 19. USFS. The U.S. Forest Service has updated their schedule for large air tankers — the last one we had was dated March 14, 2020. This latest April 29 version still does not identify all tankers that will be working. Missing are two Neptune BAe-146s and one Aero Flite RJ85. A CL-415EAF WAS USED FOR THE FIRST TIME ON A FIRE NEAR A CL-415EAF was used for the first time on a fire Sunday, July 19. The first CL-415EAF was delivered to Bridger Arospace’s facility in Bozeman, Montana in April, 2020 as part of a contract that with all options exercised is valued at $204 million covering the purchase of six of the amphibious scooping air tankers. Continue reading "A CL-415EAF was used for the first time on a fire nearCANADA ARCHIVES
Dan Gray of Sault Online reports that an air tanker made a wheels-up landing at Sault Ste. Marie Airport in Ontario, Canada at about 12:30 p.m. on May 2. Water bomber 274, a Canadair water scooper, is pictured on the ground with the wheels up, leaning over onto the right side float. From Mr. Gray’s article: EXCELLENT PHOTOS OF TANKER 131 ON THE KAREN FIRE Firefighters battling the Karen Fire near Fontana in southern California July 26 got some excellent photos of air tanker 131 (N-130FF). CAL FIRE and local fire departments made quick work of the blaze that burned 277 acres, mostly in San Bernardino County. The photo at the top of the article reminds me of the opening Continue reading "Excellent photos of Tanker 131 on the Karen Fire" FOREST SERVICE HAS 30 LARGE AND VERY LARGE AIR TANKERS BAe-146, T-03. BAe-146, T-01. RJ85, T-164. RJ85, T-163. DC-10, T-911. B747, T-944. On July 28 we posted the list of 13 air tankers on EU contracts. Having access to 30 large air tankers (LAT) and VLATs enables more routine use of the concept of quickly attacking new fires with overwhelming force from both the ground and the air. MARTA TIMMONS OF NEPTUNE AVIATION PASSED AWAY Marta A. Timmons. Marta Amelia Timmons passed away October 10, 2020. After starting an aircraft charter company and a Fixed Base Operation at the Missoula airport, she purchased Black Hills Aviation and moved it from New Mexico to Missoula, renaming it Neptune Aviation Services. LACOFD HAS TWO NEW FIREHAWKS With their arrival today at the Barton Heliport in Pacoima, the Los Angeles County Fire Department has two new Firehawk helicopters fully equipped and ready to go. Both of the ships, Helicopters 21 and 22, were converted by Colorado company United Rotorcraft into firefighting machines, with extended landing gear, 1,000 gallon firefighting tanks, and retractable Continue reading FORMER TESLA ENGINEER DEVELOPING DRONE WITH LARGER PAYLOAD The lead electrical engineer that helped design the Tesla all-electric battery-powered semi-trailer truck is one of the three people that have created a company that is developing an unmanned aircraft system, or drone, that could be used on fires, as well as other functions. Joshua Resnick, the CEO of a new company, Parallel Flight Technologies, Continue reading "Former Tesla engineer A DESIGN CONCEPT FOR A C-130 WITH FLOATS Tigerfish Aviation has design sketches for a retractable float system that they say can be retrofitted for a variety of aircraft, including military transports. They have an illustration of a C-130J outfitted with floats. We’re not sure how serious Tigerfish is with this idea, but it’s interesting to picture a C-130 air tanker landing on Continue reading "A design concept for a C-130 SMOKEJUMPER TRANSITION Change is hard. A change being made in the U.S. Forest Service smokejumper program is not only hard, but can result in hard landings. In early 2015 a decision made in Washington, DC started the agency on a transition from the round parachute canopy they had used for 75 years to a ram-air or “square” canopy. Continue reading "Smokejumper transition — round canopy to square"Skip to content
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FOREST SERVICE AWARDS CONTRACTS FOR FIVE EXCLUSIVE USE AIR TANKERSAuthor Bill Gabbert
Posted on March 26,
2020March 26, 2020
Categories
Contracting , Fixed
wing 10 Comments on
Forest Service awards contracts for five exclusive use air tankers Next-Generation 3.0 contractShare this...
for one.
The tankers operated by the companies include MD-87s by Erickson Aero Tanker and RJ85s by Aero Flite. Coulson flies C-130s and B737s but this contract is for Tanker 137, a B737. The estimated total value of the contracts are, Erickson Aero Tanker $70.5 M, Aero Flite $80.4 M, and Coulson $41.5 M. The solicitation for the Next Generation 3.0 air tankers was first posted 494 days ago on November 19, 2018. There are approximately three seasons left for the six aircraft on the Next Gen 1.0 contract, so the Forest Service should begin today working on Next Gen 4.0. These 5 large EU air tankers will be added to the existing fleet of 13 (see the chart below published March 11), to bring the total up to 18. Earlier the Forest Service said they would have “up to 18” on EU contract this year. There are 17 large air tankers left on call when needed (CWN) contracts that can be activated, but at hourly and daily rates much higher than those on EU. At the time of the CWN award in December some of those tankers only existed on paper. Schedule for large air tankers that are on USFS exclusive use contracts, updated March 11, 2020 by USFS. Since 2013 the number of large air tankers on Forest Service EU contracts at the beginning of each fire season varied from 9 in 2013 to 21 in 2016 and 2017. From 2000 to 2002 there were 40 to 44. Usage of large air tankers, 2000-2019. Revised 2-24-2020. Fire Aviation. Erickson Aero Air’s T101 and T103, MD87s, at Durango, CO May 28, 2018. Photo by Dave Herdman. Coulson 737 air tanker.Share this...
Posted on March 26,
2020March 26, 2020
Categories
Contracting , Fixed
wing 10 Comments on
Forest Service awards contracts for five exclusive use air tankers U.S. AIR FORCE PROVIDES MAFFS TRAINING IN COLOMBIA, SOUTH AMERICAAuthor Bill Gabbert
Posted on March 25,
2020March 25, 2020
Categories
Fixed wing Tags
Colombia , MAFFS
, training
1 Comment on U.S. Air Force provides MAFFS training in Colombia, South America File photo. A Colombian Air Force C-130 makes a demonstration drop with a MAFFS unit. March 29, 2017. Photo by Bill Gabbert. U.S. Air Force personnel from four bases in the United States travelled to South America to work with the Colombian armed forces as part of a mobile training team from February 11 through March 11 at two air bases in Colombia. The team was comprised of 15 air advisors from the 571st MSAS at Travis Air Force Base, California, and six total force instructors from three other U.S. Air Force units. The training covered a variety of areas of cooperation between the U.S. and Colombia. It aimed at supporting Colombia in their pursuit to counter transnational and transregional threat networksm aerial firefighting, and to enhance the capability of the Fuerza Aerea Colombiana, their air force also knownas the FAC.
Additionally, the 571st MSAS team provided ground training to the Colombian air force on Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems, or MAFFS, a system loaded into the back of a C-130 aircraft that drops fire retardant to aid in stopping the spread of wildfires. The Columbian government purchased a MAFFS unit in 2017 from MAFFS Joint Venture , a private companyin California.
U.S. Air Force Lt.
Col. Richard Pantusa, 731st Airlift Squadron Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems instructor pilot from Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, demonstrates the effectiveness of fire retardant in combating forest fires to members from the Fuerza Aerea Colombiana in Columbia, March 4, 2020. Employing an aerial firefighting capability will help the FAC in combatting wild fires, both internally and internationally. The specialized training, provided by the U.S. Air Force Reserve Command personnel, was a stepping stone to future work with the FAC on further enhancing this capability. (Courtesy photo) Aerial firefighting capability will help the FAC in combatting wildfires, both internally and internationally. The specialized training provided by the U.S. Air Force Reserve Command personnel was a stepping stone to future work with the FAC on further enhancing thiscapability.
“While a very effective fire-fighting tool, this specific mission set requires consistent practice,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Richard Pantusa, 731st Airlift Squadron MAFFS instructor pilot from Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. “It is inherently a dangerous mission — flying low over mountainous terrain that is on fire. The FAC has a new MAFFS program that includes highly motivated and knowledgeable C-130 operators who are attempting to grow their MAFFSprogram.”
While training on the diverse capabilities of the C-130 was the main focus of the mission, the 571st MSAS air advisors also took the opportunity to support additional U.S. Southern Command lines of effort by continuing to develop interoperability between the U.S. andColombia.
_More photos from the delivery of the MAFFS unit in Colombia, March29, 2017._
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Posted on March 25,
2020March 25, 2020
Categories
Fixed wing Tags
Colombia , MAFFS
, training
1 Comment on U.S. Air Force provides MAFFS training in Colombia, South America RESPONSE FROM A READER ABOUT THE USE OF FIREFIGHTING AIRCRAFT DURING APANDEMIC
Author Bill Gabbert
Posted on March 23, 2020Categories
Fixed wing ,
Helicopters Tags
COVID-19 , pandemic
3 Comments on Response from a reader about the use of firefighting aircraft during a pandemic Tanker 103, an MD-87, drops on the Thomas Fire in Ventura County, California December 13, 2017. USFS photo by KariGreer.
We received the text below in an email from one of our regular readers, Bean, who gave us permission to use it here. He wrote in response to the article, “During a pandemic aircraft may need to be used on wildfires more aggressively”,
when it first appeared on Wildfiretoday.com.
------------------------- Well done! In the military we would have classified what you are asking for as a “force multiplier”. Since your article on the Foxton Fire in JEFFCO, CO the Elk Creek FD Chief shut down our wildfire module. One member of the team came down with a cough, fever, and headache after the first day of the fire. The Chief sent them all home to self isolate for two weeks instead of allowing a possible infection to spread to the rest of the department. So right now the good news is that we just had a heavy snowstorm. The bad news is that we have no wildfire module for two weeks. No word on the sick firefighter yet. I realize you write about fire fighting but another issue causing concern is that most small rural districts, ours included, also run the local EMS and ambulance service and as a result, our firefighter paramedics and EMT’s are even more at risk of exposure to CV. In the small districts up here we are already short of fire fighters and it is the small districts that provide most of the IA capability in Colorado. If we define IA using your Rx for controlling fire size, we need a maximum effort in minimum time. We need the one resource that is not available … more people. The impact of the CV is to further reduce our most scarce fire fighting resource and if the CV impact is significant, Colorado is in trouble later this year when it warms up and dries out. Air support can increase the effectiveness of our available people. So that gets us to where your article comes in, if we can’t get more firefighters, we have to fight smarter not harder using our available firefighters. Enough air support can make a significant impact on the efficiency of our available firefighters and can offset the shortage of firefighters. The only problem is that most of the fixed wing type 1 air resources aren’t really capable of immediate response and providing direct close air support to the ground attack on the fire. I submit that for the maximum effectiveness, in this situation that the air resources required to augment fast IA are probably rotary wing. They can operate closer and drop with higher accuracy in direct support of ground personnel with relative safety compared to Type-1 fixed wing and their reload-return cycle is much quicker especially for dippers. Of course we cannot know this for a fact since the US Forest Service AFUE study has been a year out for several years and evidence is anecdotal except for the excellent Australian study on air tanker effectiveness that underscores the requirement for air support and immediate IA. CWN contracts are useless for rapid IA support so what seems to be required to offset the impact of CV on personnel availability at least in our neck of the woods is to focus on EU contracts for rotary wing support in significant numbers to provide immediate augmentation of IA personnel and fixed wing Type 1’s to back up the IA effort if indirect attack is required.Share this...
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Fixed wing ,
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COVID-19 , pandemic
3 Comments on Response from a reader about the use of firefighting aircraft during a pandemic DURING A PANDEMIC AIRCRAFT MAY NEED TO BE USED ON WILDFIRES MOREAGGRESSIVELY
Author Bill Gabbert
Posted on March 23, 2020Categories
Fixed wing ,
Helicopters Tags
COVID-19 , pandemic
2 Comments on During a pandemic aircraft may need to be used on wildfires more aggressivelyA
747 air tanker drops on the Kincade Fire in Sonoma County California, October 26, 2019. Kari Greer photo. _This article was first published on Wildfire Today, March 19, 2020._ ------------------------- Fighting wildland fires as we have known it is likely to go through a transformation during the next 6 to 18 months. As the COVID-19 pandemic begins to reach into more segments of the daily human existence the way we suppress wildfires may have to be modified. OBSTACLES TO FIREFIGHTING At a White House briefing on March 16 the President and Dr. Anthony Fauci said people should not assemble in groups larger than 10 and recommended “Social distancing”– spacing between individuals needs to be at least 6 feet. Being near any infected person, even if it is just one person, runs the risk that droplets expelled from their mouth or nose, or viruses on their face, hands, or clothing could be transferred to others. Without widespread testing, it is impossible to know if someone is infected without being symptomatic. The symptoms, if they occur at all, may not develop for days.A
hand crew of firefighters on the Kincade Fire in Sonoma County California, October 26, 2019. Kari Greer photo. Social distancing would be extremely difficult to maintain while traveling to or extinguishing a fire. Wildland firefighters are trained to never work alone, and are always in groups ranging from 2 on a small Type 6 engine, 20 on a hand crew, and hundreds or thousands while assigned to a large fire. On Tuesday multiple engine crews battled three fires that burned 50 acres near Foxton in JeffersonCounty, Colorado
about 20 miles southwest of Denver. On March 6, 286 firefighters responded to a 20-acre fire in the Cleveland National Forest near Lakeland Village in southern California. In 2017 more than 8,500 firefighters were assigned to theThomas Fire
in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties in southern California.TIME
This is not like dealing with climate change that over years and decades has slowly caused fires to grow larger. A rapidly growing pandemic that kills approximately 0.7 to 3.0 percent of those infected means we don’t have the luxury of time to come up with solutions. A new scientific report warns that without action by the government and individuals to slow the spread and suppress new cases, 2.2 million people in the UnitedStates could die.
The March 1 outlook for wildland fire potential predicted higher than average fire activity during March and April in the coastal areas of Central and Southern California. WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONEPREVENT FIRES
It is possible that with social isolation the number of human-caused ignitions will decrease. Or, will campfires in the woods increase when folks get cabin fever and have more time on their hands? Fire prevention efforts have to increase, with more public service announcements and prevention officers in the field. REDUCE THE NUMBER OF FIRES THAT ESCAPE INITIAL ATTACK The fewer large fires we have that require hundreds or thousands of firefighters to work together, the safer firefighters will be from additional virus exposure. This would also reduce evacuations that can result in refugees assembling in large numbers. An infected person forced to leave their self-quarantine to fend around for housing is adanger to society.
HOW TO KEEP FIRES FROM BECOMING LARGE There is no silver bullet that can guarantee a fire will not escape initial attack, but the most effective tactic is: _Rapid initial attack with overwhelming force using both ground and air resources, arriving within the first 10 to 30 minutes whenpossible._
This means, if there is a report of a fire, don’t just send one unit out to verify unless you have a very good reason to suspect it is a false alarm. Dispatch overwhelming force — engines, crews, helicopters, and air tankers. This is not inexpensive, but can save millions of dollars if it keeps a fire from growing large. THE NEED FOR MORE FIREFIGHTING RESOURCES Congress is considering a proposal to spend $1 trillion dollars on astimulus package
to combat the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a proposal obtained by NBC News. A trillion is a number that is nearly impossible for me to comprehend. It is a thousand billion. A billion is a thousand million. If more firefighters were hired it could make it possible to have healthy forces in reserve when 20-person crews or 5-person engines have to be quarantined when one crew member tests positive for the virus or if they are exposed while fighting a fire. It could also enhance the ability to attack new fires with overwhelming force. Since firefighters assembling in groups to suppress a fire can put them at risk of spreading COVID-19, we need to rethink our tactics. This could include making far greater use of aerial firefighting. It should become standard operating procedure to have multiple large air tankers and helicopters safely and quickly attacking a new fire from the air, far from any people on the ground infected with the virus.A
firefighter on the Kincade Fire in Sonoma County California, October 25, 2019. Kari Greer photo. In 2002 there were 44 large air tankers on federal exclusive use (EU) contracts. Last year and at the beginning of this year there are only13
.
That is a ridiculous number even in a slow fire season like last year when 20 percent of the requests for large air tankers were unfilled. The number of acres burned in the lower 48 states in 2019 was theleast since 2004.
There are so few large airtankers on EU contracts that dispatchers have to guess where fires will erupt and move the aircraft around,like whack-a-mole.
The U.S. Forest Service says they can have “up to” 18 large air tankers on EU contract, but that will only be possible if and when they finally make awards based on the Next-Generation 3.0 exclusive use air tanker solicitation that was first published November 19, 2018.
There are an additional 17 large air tankers on call when needed (CWN) contracts that can be activated, but at hourly and daily rates much higher than those on EU. If multiple large air tankers and helicopters could attack new fires within 20 to 30 minutes we would have fewer large fires. Congress needs to appropriate enough funding to have 40 LARGE AIR TANKERS ON EXCLUSIVE USE CONTRACTS. Until that takes place and the aircraft are sitting on ramps at air tanker bases, all 17 of the large air tankers on call when needed contracts need to be activated this summer. Right now, only one large air tanker is working. Several years ago the number of the largest helicopters on EU contracts, Type 1, were cut from 36 to 28. This number needs to be increased to 50. Until that happens 22 CWN Type 1 helicopters should be activated this summer. “AIR TANKERS DON’T PUT OUT FIRES” We often say, “air tankers don’t put out fires”, but under ideal conditions they can slow the spread which allows firefighters on the ground the opportunity to move in and suppress the fire in that area. During these unprecedented circumstances, we may at times need to rely much more on aerial firefighting than in the past. ALL FIREFIGHTERS NEED TO BE TESTED FOR THE VIRUS AT REGULAR INTERVALS If firefighting crews have to isolated and put on the sidelines because one member develops COVID-19 symptoms, it is likely that they had already been shedding the virus for days, possibly infectingothers.
Firefighters
on the Kincade Fire in Sonoma County California, October 27, 2019.Kari Greer photo.
The small town of Vò in northern Italy where the first COVID-19 death occurred in the country, has become a case study that demonstrates how scientists might neutralize the spread of the disease. On March 6 they began a program to test all 3,300 inhabitants of the town twice, including asymptomatic people. Those without symptoms that tested positive were isolated, as were those with symptoms of course, and since then there have been no new cases. This lesson is being learned. San Miguel County in Colorado, the location of Telluride, will be the first county in the U.S. to testevery resident
.
If we expect to maintain wildland firefighting capability, every firefighter must be tested on a regular basis. This can greatly reduce the risk when they gather in large numbers to suppress a fire. Other key members of the wildland firefighting community must also be tested in order to maintain the viability of the system. This would include pilots, aircraft mechanics, air tanker base crews, helitack crews, dispatchers, members of Incident Management Teams, and contractors that supply firefighting equipment and services, especially caterers. SHOULD WE STILL MANAGE “LIMITED SUPPRESSION” FIRES? In the last 10 years we have seen more wildfires allowed to spread with only limited suppression. These fires can persist for months while they are being baby sat by firefighters. Yes, there are benefits to the natural resources to allow fire to run its natural course. Fewer personnel are used early in the fire, but the amount of time involved results in them being tied up for an extended period. And if a month or two into it, after it has grown large and has to be suppressed, then you will need a huge commitment of forces. If firefighting resources are extremely limited by the effects of the pandemic, the second and third order effects of this strategy need to be thoroughly examined by smart managers before they decide to not aggressively attack a new fire. AREA COMMAND TEAMS ACTIVATED Three Area Command Teams (ACT) have been activated in the United States to assist in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The delegation of authority directs them to coordinate with Federal, State, local, and Tribal officials to identify issues related to COVID-19 and wildland fire response. They will develop fire response plans for maintaining dispatching, initial attack, and extended attack capability. The ACTs will also develop procedures or protocols for mitigating exposure to COVID-19 during an incident, and for responding in areas with known exposure to COVID-19. This is an important and necessary step. We are in uncharted territory, and no one has ever fought wildland fires under these conditions, at least in the United States. TABLE TOP EXERCISES OR SIMULATIONS They may already exist, but if not, table top exercises could be very useful for Regional and National Multi-Agency Coordinating Groups to work through the steps of allocating firefighting resources that in a worst case scenario could become scarce on an unprecedented scale. Maybe a billionaire or video game designer will develop a computer-based simulation for this purpose. YES, THIS IS A LOT — 40 EU LARGE AIR TANKERS, 50 EU TYPE 1 HELICOPTERS, INITIAL ATTACK WITH OVERWHELMING FORCE, AND TESTING FOR EVERYONE INVOLVED IN FIREFIGHTING. We need to be in this for the long haul. No one knows for sure, but scientists are thinking that this new virus will ebb and flow. The spread may peak every few weeks and it may or may not slow in the summer, but will most likely peak again in the fall and winter well into 2021. There is no known cure and it will be at least 12 to 18 months before a vaccine is available. But what is the alternative? If our firefighters are isolated, quarantined, or deceased, there could be a lot of smoke in the skies this year that will exacerbate respiratory diseases being suffered bymany.
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Fixed wing ,
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COVID-19 , pandemic
2 Comments on During a pandemic aircraft may need to be used on wildfires more aggressively REPORT RELEASED ON CRASH OF FIREFIGHTING HELICOPTER IN QUEENSLANDAuthor Bill Gabbert
Posted on March 23, 2020Categories
Helicopters Tags
accident , Australia, Bell 214
, crash
, Queensland
, report
Leave a comment on Report released on crash of firefighting helicopter in Queensland The Bell 214B crashed while on a water-dropping mission Nov. 13, 2019Share this...
another helicopter.
Below is the complete text of the Brief. (We added the photo taken by9News):
------------------------- _Occurrence Briefs are concise reports that detail the facts surrounding a transport safety occurrence, as received in the initial notification and any follow-up enquiries. They provide an opportunity to share safety messages in the absence of an investigation._WHAT HAPPENED
On 13 November 2019, a Bell 214B helicopter was water bombing during fire control operations near Pechey, Queensland. At 1344 Eastern Standard Time, the helicopter approached the bushfire downwind and down hill from the north-west at about 60 knots, and made a descending right-hand turn back into wind over the fire. The descent was continued towards the drop zone. The airspeed was further slowed and the height was reduced to about 150 feet above ground level (50 feet above treetop level). The pilot then released the load of water before departing the drop area into rising terrain. The pilot heard the low rotor RPM warning and had insufficient altitude and clearance from obstacles to recover the rotor RPM and continue flying. He was concerned that further actions required to recover the rotor RPM would result in the helicopter possibly striking trees or ending up in the actively burning fire. Bell 412B crashed while working on a fire near Pechey, Queensland, Australia November 13, 2019. Photo by 9News In maintaining the climb to avoid rising ground, trees and fire, the rotor RPM appeared to decay further. As the helicopter cleared the trees, it began to descend, yawed to the right and the left-hand skid collided with the ground. The helicopter rolled onto its left side resulting in substantial damage. The pilot was able to turn off the fuel to stop the engine and exited the helicopter via the overhead window with minor injuries. Neither the g-force activated ELT beacon or flight tracking alarm were triggered. The distance from the last water drop to the impact point was less than 100 metres and the recovered aircraft showed little evidence of damage from forward moment. Bell 214, Queensland, Australia, November 13, 2020. Photo by operator. OPERATOR’S INVESTIGATION AND COMMENTS Based on the pilot’s account of the accident and assessment of the recovered aircraft, mechanical malfunctions were ruled out as a contributing factor. The operator determined that the accident was most likely the result of a loss of rotor RPM that the pilot was unable to recover, due to a downwind descending turn, low altitude for the water drop, and a departure into rising terrain. The pilot had to make a decision between putting the helicopter into tall trees and active bushfire or climbing over the trees to clear ground. In choosing the latter, the rotor RPM decayed further and the helicopter contacted the ground. The operator stated that the helicopter type is renowned for its ‘hot and high’ performance making it a very effective firefighting platform. Firefighting combines a number of factors which result in flying that is close to the performance limits of the aircraft – high gross weights, low airspeeds, low altitude, close quarters manoeuvring, high work rate environment and adverse weather conditions. In this case the combination of factors immediately leading up to the accident resulted in the helicopter operating outside its performance envelope without having enough space andheight to recover.
SAFETY ACTION
As a result of this occurrence, the aircraft operator has advised the ATSB that they are taking the following safety actions: The operator has provided a briefing to all of their pilots on the circumstances and the outcome of this accident. The pilot involved in this accident will be involved in future training and checking to enable the recognition and avoidance of the circumstances that saw the limitations and flight envelope exceeded. This training will become part of the operator’s annual training for all pilots conducting fire control operations.SAFETY MESSAGE
Fire control flying operations can involve challenges and complexities that require crews to maintain a heightened awareness of their aircraft’s operating limits and the environmental conditions. Flying within operating limits can ensure pilots have a performance margin to react to unforeseen circumstances.ABOUT THIS REPORT
Decisions regarding whether to conduct an investigation, and the scope of an investigation, are based on many factors, including the level of safety benefit likely to be obtained from an investigation. For this occurrence, no investigation has been conducted and the ATSB did not verify the accuracy of the information. A brief description has been written using information supplied in the notification and any follow-up information in order to produce a short summary report, and allow for greater industry awareness of potential safety issues and possible safety actions.Share this...
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accident , Australia, Bell 214
, crash
, Queensland
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Leave a comment on Report released on crash of firefighting helicopter in Queensland SCHEDULE RELEASED FOR LARGE AIR TANKERSAuthor Bill Gabbert
Posted on March 14, 2020Categories
Contracting Tags UTF 2 Comments on Schedule released forlarge air tankers
Only 13 are on exclusive use U.S. Forest Service contractsShare this...
Fire Aviation.
There are so few large airtankers on exclusive use contracts that dispatchers have to guess where fires will erupt and move the aircraft around, like whack-a-mole. None of the tankers this year will be staffed seven days a week, and the DC-10s will have two days off each week. In 2019, 20 percent of the requests for large air tankers were unfilled during a year in which the number of acres burned in the lower 48-states was the least since 2004.
2019
US acres burned, except Alaska. Stats by NICC. Numbers prior to 1983 may not be reliable. Processed by Wildfire Today. The hourly and daily rates were redacted on the document that the Forest Service released. On the image at the top of the article I cropped off those blank columns to make the remaining information that was not censored more readable. The Next-Generation 3.0 exclusive use air tanker solicitation that was first published November 19, 2018 has still not been awarded. New Call When Needed contracts for large air tankers were awarded inDecember, 2019
.
Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Robert. Typos or errors, reportthem HERE .
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Contracting Tags UTF 2 Comments on Schedule released forlarge air tankers
FIRST FLIGHT OF A CL-415EAFAuthor Bill Gabbert
Posted on March 11, 2020Categories
Fixed wing Tags Canada, CL-215
, CL-415EAF
1 Comment on First flight ofa CL-415EAF
CL-215s are being upgraded to the CL-415EAF “Enhanced Aerial Firefighter” configurationShare this...
First flight of a
CL-415EAF March 10, 2020. Photo by Longview Aviation. A Viking CL-415EAF took its inaugural flight in Abbotsford, British Columbia March 10. It is the first Canadair CL-215 to undergo the major modification to CL-415EAF “Enhanced Aerial Firefighter” configuration by Longview Aviation Services in collaboration with Cascade Aerospace. Cascade was awarded a contract to assist with the CL-415EAF modification program in 2018 that included carrying out the first aircraft modification using Viking-supplied conversion kits. This initial CL-415EAF is the first of six amphibious air tankers ordered by launch customer Bridger Aerospace of Bozeman, Montana and is scheduled for delivery in April in advance of the start of the 2020 North American wildfire season. The CL-415EAF modification program was announced in 2018 as a collaboration between the two subsidiaries of Longview Aviation Capital. In the program CL-215 airframes are converted to turbines using Viking-supplied conversion kits and all obsolete components are replaced. It features a new Collins Pro Line Fusion® integrated digital avionics suite, Pratt & Whitney PW123AF turbine engines, increased water tank capacity, and improvements to numerous aircraftsystems.
The CL-415EAF utilizes a higher delivery 2-door water drop system combined with a zero-timed maintenance program and a “new aircraft” factory-supported warranty program.First flight of a
CL-415EAF March 10, 2020. Photo by Longview Aviation.Share this...
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Fixed wing Tags Canada, CL-215
, CL-415EAF
1 Comment on First flight ofa CL-415EAF
RESULTS RELEASED FOR STUDY OF WATER ENHANCERS USED BY FIREFIGHTINGAIRCRAFT
Author Bill Gabbert
Posted on March 11,
2020March 12, 2020
Categories
Fixed wing ,
Helicopters Tags
Colorado , gel
, retardant
, study
, water enhancer
2 Comments on Results released for study of water enhancers used by firefighting aircraft Five products were evaluated during a three-year periodShare this...
project.
The CoE evaluated the following water enhancers: * GelTech Solutions FireIce 561® (uncolored) * FireIce HVO-F® (orange colorant)* FireIce HVB-Fx®
* G5 BioSolutions BlazeTamer 380® * Thermo Technologies Thermo-Gel 200® (In the interest of full disclosure BlazeTamer is a supporter of FireAviation.)
The full 63-page report can be downloaded.
Here are some of the recommendations: ------------------------- INCREASE THE USE OF WATER ENHANCERS (ESPECIALLY DURING INITIAL ATTACK) Aircraft are used in a variety of wildfire management roles in many parts of the world. They can be used to deliver suppressants to sections of the fire edge that are difficult to access on the ground and can reduce the intensity and spread rates to allow ground crews to work along the fire edge. This is critical during the initial attack of wildfires in remote locations. When used properly, specifically in direct attack on the fire with ground resources present, the CoE’s data showed that there is a favorable reduction in flame heights with the use of water enhancers as opposed to LTR, especially in light fuels. Observers shared a number of comments that suggest that they are quite effective at reducing fire behavior. * Water enhancers are much more effective when used in direct attack than water or foam and much less expensive than retardant. * The choice of tactics may also depend on the availability of suitable aircraft, payload, and airbase facilities for each option. * Water and foam all dry at a faster rate than do water enhancers; however, ground follow-up is critical to the success of a water enhancer line “holding.” This is even more important on hot and windy days when spread rates and the probability of ignition are both high, as holding times under these conditions will be 30 minutes orless.
* Holding time was difficult to quantify because many of the drops were not observed at all or did not last long enough to capture data. * The CoE’s study showed that holding times for the products that were evaluated range from 20 minutes to 2 hours. Because the water enhancers are only effective as long as they retain water, fire managers must realize that the use of these products should be limited to direct attack applications. CONSIDER USE OF WATER ENHANCERS IN HELICOPTERS Use of water enhancers in helicopters should also be considered on large fires to directly support crews in controlling hot spots and reducing the amount of time required to control critical sections offireline.
Some additional benefits of water enhancer use in helicopters mayinclude:
* Fireline production per drop when using water enhancers is increased significantly due to the creation of a dense, narrow drop pattern versus the pattern created when dropping untreated water. * Retardant is expensive and inefficient when used for direct attack. Retardant increases the weight of water from 8.3 lb per gallon to about 9.1 lb per gallon. * Only 85% of retardant (i.e., the water content) is effective when used for direct attack; 15% is the chemicals and coloring agent used for indirect attack. * Retardant is more expensive. For example, BlazeTamer 380 costs $0.83 per gallon as compared to $2.50 per gallon for Phos Chek 259-FLTR.
* Ease of set-up and breakdown of water enhancer mixing systems as compared to mobile retardant bases allows for fast movement around a fire rather than having to stay in one location. No heavy equipment isneeded.
USE WATER ENHANCERS WITH PROMPT GROUND RESOURCE FOLLOW-UP When enhancers are used properly for direct attack and the number of aircraft is sufficient, they may be capable of fully extinguishing the fire with little to no ground support. The CoE recommends water enhancer use for situations where follow-up from the ground can be provided promptly (typically within 1 hour). For an extended attack incident, particularly when the ground support is several hours away and the need is to hold or slow the spread until they can catch up, retardant is likely the best tool. There were numerous observations made during this study in which the enhancers were very effective when supported by ground resources. Ground crews play an essential role during fire suppression, with water enhancer technology offering a method to increase their suppression capacity. Aerial suppression provides a temporary holding role, rather than extinguishing fires. Follow-up by ground crews before the water enhancers dry out or fire burns through the drop zone is essential. In 2018, the CoE received observations from several initial attack fires with high rates of spread and intensity where ground resources were delayed in supporting the drops in a timely manner, resulting in drops being burned around or spotted over. ------------------------- There were other recommendations about training, using an aircraft with an electro-optical/infrared sensor to evaluate the effectiveness of the drop, and processes to ensure quality control of the waterenhancer mixture.
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Posted on March 11,
2020March 12, 2020
Categories
Fixed wing ,
Helicopters Tags
Colorado , gel
, retardant
, study
, water enhancer
2 Comments on Results released for study of water enhancers used by firefighting aircraftLoad More
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