Originally Posted by
nomorehelosforme
Saw this earlier, just interested about how much benefit this could potentially bring to the fire fighting teams around the world, obviously different countries and even regions have to deal with various terrains, availability of support resources and all the other surprises thrown at you while doing a days work!
There are a few units conducting night time fire fighting in the US. Down in the Los Angeles and San Diego basins it is common practice. The US Forest Service started about 4 years ago with a dedicated program based in Fox Field, just North of the Los Angeles basin.
Colorado State now has a program that is just starting their second season. I went to a briefing given by Vince Wellbaum the head of their program recently. A few observations:
- Fire Fighting by helicopter is a little more complex than most realize, you cannot just get a helicopter, throw on a bucket and start dropping. There is a learning curve.
- While not "dangerous", (her indoors would never let me out of the house...lol), it does have risk associated with it, and that risk needs to be managed.
- Aircraft selection is critical, I am surprised that BC went with an aircraft that no-one else is using on fires--why re-invent the wheel?
- When starting night time operations, SLOW everything down. Colorado initially only allowed night ops on a fire that had been seen and re-conned by the pilot during the day and they had further restrictions in place.
- It is prolly best to use pumpkins or some other man made dip site initially until you are well practiced.
I wish them well....these are changing times in the world of aerial firefighting, I have seen the general tactics slowly change over the last 15 years, and more so here in California since the Carr and Paradise fires. People are scared, and freak out when they see smoke these days. One of the biggest changes is "bigger is better", and "sooner than later". We are seeing a full dispatch of engines, air attack platform, helicopter and two fixed wing tankers on just a smoke report her in CA, where as it used to be send an engine to confirm first and then order up what you think was needed. Also, with the abundance of Black Hawks now, they are showing up on smaller and smaller fires, it is only 15 years ago that I would be the only helicopter working a fire for about a week, and that was in a Long Ranger---these days the cavalry arrives and I go sit back at base in my hammock.......
