While flying a S70 (BlackHawk) over the Grose valley in the 90's fighting Bush fires west of Sydney, about 500AGL in amongst the orange filtered light produced by the smoke. Admiring the very tall flame fronts exploding from the the superheated Eucalypt bush below, the #2 Eng Fire light illuminated……Just what you really don't want to see at that point.
The Grose Valley being very rugged and absolutely no place to even look like landing ASAP. The immediate actions taught back then and I would recommend where possible on any type ..particularly if the FIre detection system is an Infra Red based system as it was in the BlackHawk, was to immediately turn in the direction of the indicating engine, get the crewmen (which we normally carried) to check for any visible smoke and/or other confirming indications by looking/leaning out.
The action of the turn thankfully removed the spurious ray of sunshine which had come through gaps in the engine cowl and with the added effect of the orange filtered light caused the infra red fire detector to illuminate the Fire warning system for that engine……..there was no fire. There was no gas leak….except from my rear end at the time
Once the turn had commenced, the sunshine was removed from the detector elements and the indication ceased….thankfully..
So pay heed to the TYPE of fire detection that you have installed and understand how it works a little better is one of the fundamental ways in better handling an actual Fire Indication situation. It better enables selection on the best course of action for any given set of circumstances…whether environmental factors (rain/smoke/electrical) which may effect possible indications and/or the added risk of making your current situation a whole lot worse by blindly following a check list when you simply don't have enough power to safely continue flight in your current situation on one engine.
Perhaps this is what you should be concentrating on when teaching Engine Fire situations….There is rarely a "Text Book" scenario in real life. The "text book" fire drill if for teaching basic fire drill responses….ab initio type endorsement stuff. The next stage should be creative reproductions of real events experienced through that aircraft type. I guess this is limited to the quality of Sim instructor and his experience or syllabus of training that he has been given to operate to in that Sim
A little more understanding of the systems, how they work, how they don't work and common problems unique to individual aircraft models.
And then teach real Risk Assessment…..(I fear not the B/S being touted through aviation at the moment). Believing if we fill in a tick and flick check sheet some 30-60min before flight, that will make us all nice and safe is living in a fools paradise.
Risk Assessment is an ongoing process which changes from minute to minute and cannot possibly be captured in a check sheet…..
Risk Assessment should be being performed every minute of the day by every individual….That is why you aircraft Captains are paid the "big Bucks'. To provide effective, real time, on-going risk assessment to keep both himself and his aircraft safe. By default, if both those elements are kept safe, then everyone else (Pax/Crew) has a very high probability of being kept safe as well….not too many sane Captains have a death wish.
This should be fundamental in Simulator training….developing a Real time, situational based Risk Assessment Mentality. It is the best place for this type of training as so many different scenarios can be created and presented.
My two bob's worth…I hope it makes sense...
RG