WASHINGTON, June 22, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Aerial
firefighters are quickly deploying assets over a wide area of the
US, as ongoing dry conditions continue to spark numerous wildland
fires--mostly throughout the western third of the country.
As in years past, the fire season got an
early start, with a total of 48 wildfires now burning on 203,508
acres, as of June 12, according to
the US Forest Service (USFS). The largest of the currently
uncontained fires are the Buzzard Fire in New Mexico's Gila National Forest, at over
44,000 acres, and the 416 Fire near Durango in southwestern Colorado, with more than 27,000 acres burned
to date.
"We have been very active this year, and
I see a very busy fire season ahead—at least on par with those over
the past few years," said Josh
Beckham, General Manager of Helimax Aviation in Sacramento, California.
Two of the company's CH47D Chinook
helicopters have been on USFS exclusive use contracts since April
and May. One is fighting the Emery Gap Fire out of Taos, New Mexico, while the other is on
standby in Sierra Vista, Arizona.
The helicopters are equipped with 2,600 gallon capacity Bambi
buckets, and each is supported with a staff of six including two
pilots. "Those two aircraft have had a lot of activity this season,
and we expect that within the next two weeks, two additional CH47D
helicopters will be activated under USFS and CALFIRE call when
needed contracts," Beckham noted.
Portland, Oregon-based Columbia Helicopters has two
aircraft working on the fires in the southwestern US, including a
CH47D, equipped with a 2,800 gallon-capacity internal tank,
operating out of Durango on the
416 fire. A Columbia Model 234, fitted with a 2,600 gallon Bambi
bucket, is flying on the Buzzard Fire from Silver City, New Mexico. The operator has also
prepositioned a CH47D at Sedona,
Arizona, awaiting possible call-up.
As Keith Saylor, the company's Director,
Commercial Operations pointed out, all three helicopters are under
USFS exclusive use contracts, while an additional CH47D, and a
Columbia Model 107, are available under USFS call when needed
contracts. "Given the hot and dry conditions, we expected to see a
number of very large fires develop quickly," he said.
"Surprisingly, that has not yet happened at quite the level we
expected. But it's only a matter of time before this changes."
Two fixed wing Turbine Commander
aircraft, operated by Rogers Helicopters are currently fighting the
growing 416 Fire, flying out of Durango,
Colorado. As Robin Roger's,
the Fresno, California-based
company's Vice President explained, one aircraft was deployed on
May 22 under a USFS exclusive use
contract, and the other on June 10,
under a USFS call when needed contract. Both are used in an air
traffic management role during the attack phase.
"As the fire season progresses, we
expect to have more of our aircraft activated under call when
needed contracts," Rogers noted. "For example, we sent a Bell 212HP
to Marta, Texas, under our first
call when needed contract this year. It was our first operation in
Texas in about eight to 10
years."
Timberline Helicopters has just
completed its first firefighting mission of the 2018 fire season,
according to Brian Jorgenson, the
Sandpoint, Idaho-based company's
Vice President. He explained that a single K-MAX helicopter,
equipped with a 650 gallon capacity Bambi Bucket, was dispatched to
Laramie, Wyoming under a USFS
exclusive use contract. The aircraft, supported by a pilot,
mechanic, and fuel truck driver, was activated nearly five weeks
prior to the contract's July 15
effective date, due to the number of active fires in Colorado and Wyoming, he said.
"This is the earliest that one of our
helicopters has been dispatched to a fire, prior to a contract's
start date—but it's not the first time," Jorgenson explained. "In
fact, we always have our helicopters and crews ready to go no later
than June 1 each year, since nobody
can predict how severe a fire season will be."
He added that a second K-MAX was sent to
Moab, Utah, to work the Trail
Mountain Fire. In addition, four of the company's Blackhawk helicopters will be positioned in
Central and Southern California by
the end of June, under call when needed contracts. Each
Blackhawk is supported by an eight
member staff, including two pilots.
Dan Snyder, Chief Operating Officer for
Neptune Aviation Services in Missoula,
Montana reported that his company's fleet of BAe 146 fixed
wing aircraft "have been very active at multiple locations since
early March." Currently, four of the company's nine BAe 146 fixed
wing tankers are under USFS exclusive use contracts, while two are
under USFS call when needed agreements.
"We also have three call when needed
contracts with California,
Minnesota and Montana, respectively. However, no aircraft
have been activated or committed at this point to these
agreements." Snyder noted.
The BAe 146 aircraft, which have totally
replaced Neptune's legacy P2V fleet—retired in 2017—have flown over
400 hours on fires this year so far, out of Colorado, Arizona, Utah
and California.
Columbia Helicopters, Helimax Aviation,
Neptune Aviation Services, Rogers Helicopters, and Timberline
Helicopters are all members of the American Helicopter Services And
Aerial Firefighting Association (AHSAFA). AHSAFA is the
Washington-based trade association
representing the privately operated aerial firefighting industry
before federal agencies tasked with wildland management and
resource protection.
SOURCE AMERICAN HELICOPTER SERVICES AND AERIAL FIREFIGHTING
ASSOCIATION (AHSAFA)