Southern Hemisphere Fire Season Approaching? Message to our folks who maybe in the USA?
On 7 Oct 2021, HAI’s Jen Boyer was quoted as saying, “As the 2021 North American fire season winds down, the HAI Aerial Firefighting Safety Conference is now little more than a month away. Held in Boise, Idaho, on Nov. 16 and 17, the event will feature two keynote safety presentations in addition to legislative briefings from HAI and critical safety briefings and interagency updates from the US Forest Service and the US Department of the Interior.
With wildland firefighting seasons growing longer, hotter, and larger every year, aerial operators must remain one step ahead to ensure peak safety. A misstep or small change of events in the volatile fire environment can mean the difference between a job done safely and tragedy.
A safe firefighting operation, however, isn’t maintained on autopilot; it’s carefully planned, smartly executed, and judiciously reviewed for opportunities to improve. The presenters at this year’s conference will reveal steps operators can take to bring their approach to safety to the next level.
In the first keynote presentation, “Dealing with the Pressures of Complex Work Environments,” Chris Young of CY Consulting Solutions will take a close look at the internal and external pressures we put on ourselves as operators to do the job perfectly, on time, and on budget, and how that path can unwittingly set us up for failure. He’ll provide advice on how to manage our expectations and approach our jobs, customer relationships, and operations with a successful risk-mitigation mindset that protects lives, property, and reputations.
The second keynote speaker, Phoenix Heli-Flight CEO Paul Spring, will share his company’s successful experience with aircraft monitoring technology in his presentation, “Safety and Financial Benefits of Flight Data Monitoring.” His talk will include advice on how, when paired with a positive safety culture, flight data monitoring can significantly strengthen one’s safety precautions.
Through leader and employee buy-in, Spring has used FDM to protect staff and companies, productively review incidents, and quickly identify potential issues before they’ve led to trouble. During his presentation, he will explain how the technology has helped keep Phoenix Heli-Flight’s insurance premiums lower than the competition’s and paid for itself many times over.
Other presentations at the conference will address current legislative impacts on safety and the aerial firefighting community, and the use of uncrewed aircraft systems (UASs) in the aerial firefighting environment. The conference will be held at The Riverside Hotel and includes hosted meals and networking sessions. Attendance is free for HAI members and $95 for nonmembers. A discounted conference rate on rooms is available by calling + 1 208-343-1871 and identifying yourself as an attendee of the HAI Aerial Firefighting Safety.