PPRuNe Forums - Helicopter Fire-fighting (Merged threads)

PPRuNe Forums (https://www.pprune.org/)

- Rotorheads (https://www.pprune.org/rotorheads-23/)

- - Helicopter Fire-fighting (Merged threads) (https://www.pprune.org/rotorheads/111399-helicopter-fire-fighting-merged-threads.html)

Gordy, thanks for the information. I actually tried looking for a general firefighting thread but the search only came up with specific fires.

Do you have any idea how many helicopters are used in the US for firefighting roughly? Just curious.

Quote:

Do you have any idea how many helicopters are used in the US for firefighting roughly?

Lots..... I would hazard a guess at a couple hundred in the US. ranging from the Type 1's, (cranes, s-61's, firehawks and K-max), down to the jet rangers doing burn outs and Helco....

My company has a 212, Huey, 2 X L4's and and Jet Ranger, and out sister company has a Huey, B3 astar, couple B2's, L3 and jet ranger----all are on fires during the season.

Some interesting stuff after 3:00 :ok:

And a bit of aircrane stuff :cool:

Gordy thank you. 200 helicopters is incredible - more than some defence forces one imagines.

John - that first video is amazing! :ok: Heli fire fighting must be a great skill. The second video is blocked in the UK. :(

HS, there are some decent videos here:

Erickson Air-Crane Videos | S-64 Aircrane Videos

Quote:

Gordy thank you. 200 helicopters is incredible

My company has a Bell 212......not 200 + helicopters. On fires I would guess between 200 and 300 total each year.

We just came back fro the "Panther" fire in Northern California and it had 13 helicopters working it and 1,800 firefighters for just under 7,000 acres.

Quote:

200 helicopters is incredible - more than some defence forces one imagines.

In my part of the world I can count the number of military helicopters owned by local governments on both hands, sometimes just one hand!

If you're going to get into the rotary business you should know that the US is an anomaly. Lots of stuff going on there that you won't see anywhere else plus they have the world's largest domestic helicopter population.

Another abnormal place is Russia, but you can't do much there unless you are married to a Russian or speak Russian or have a Russian passport, a bit like Brazil.

Quote:

but you can't do much there unless you are married to a Russian or speak Russian or have a Russian passport, a bit like Brazil.

You mean if I marry a Russian I can work in Brazil! :E

Marrying a Brazilian Women might work....but working in Russia would not.

Helicopter Fire-fighting (Merged threads)

How's about marry a Canadian girl, I did got me in. Well actually been here a few years flying but hey.....
You want fun and games lots of medium time, intermediate time on the end of a long line many hours a day avec a bucket try Canada on a busy year . I think biggest for me was Virginia Hills fire 98 season, 163,200+ hectares, same year Tall Cree even bigger I seem to recall and spent two seasons having fun on that one, burnt underground all winter go figure. Minds you had some sad times, lost a few good buddies and watched helplessly as many a fine value burns after spending many hours trying to stem the tide, Kelowna comes to mind. It's long days, very tiring in low vis, very dense traffic, multiple FM, VHF, UHF freqs to monitor. But at the end of the season it gives me I know, time to reflect on a job well done and a feeling that we actually accomplished something. Best of all the commardarie of the crews and the lifelong friends made. Knowing Gordy I'm sure he feels the same.

It's the start of fire season here in Canada, always Mother Nature has the last say, so unpredictable. Be safe out there boys/gals. We'll talk on freq soon I'm sure.

HeliStudent:

Quote:

Bell fighting fires in Santa Ana today.

You should really read stuff a little closer. This was two weeks ago on May 2nd. My sister company had a helicopter on that fire.

There is currently only one major fire in California and that is the Grand Fire.

I have 4 helicopters sitting on standby for the calls right now.

newfieboy

How ya been....? Yes I most certainly feel the same way. Ramping up for more fires as we type..... You coming south this year? If so catch you on a blaze somewhere no doubt....enjoy your season.

Heli Fire Training goes wrong

http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townn...review-620.jpg

Quote:

A firefighting helicopter practicing bucket drops in the Clark Fork River crashed into the water Friday afternoon, requiring one pilot to swim to shore while emergency crews assisted the second to safety.

The Missoula Rural Fire District responded to reports of the downed helicopter shortly after 1 p.m. Witnesses living at the Wagon Wheel Trailer Court — off Big Flat Road northwest of Missoula — saw the aircraft go down behind a bank of cottonwood trees and enter the river.

“There was one pilot still inside the helicopter when we arrived,” said Missoula County Sheriff’s Deputy Robert Kennedy. “The other pilot was on the shore across the river.”

Kennedy said both occupants were safe and suffered no injuries in the crash. Officials said it was unknown what caused the helicopter to go down, although Kennedy said the pilot reported mechanical troubles.

The helicopter, identified as Bell model 206L-3, is apparently owned by a company in Lewiston, Idaho. The pilot was working to earn his annual U.S. Forest Service recertification to conduct bucket work on wildfires.

“The pilot said he was doing a recertification with the Forest Service to keep up his license,” Kennedy said. “That’s what they were doing today.”

Locating the helicopter posed an initial challenge, and the crash site proved difficult to reach.

Kennedy said officials, including those with the helicopter company, are working to determine how to extract the aircraft from the river.

Brent Christopherson, assistant chief of the Missoula Rural Fire District, said no fuel appeared to be leaking into the river, as the helicopter remained intact.

Hardly a crash....

Swim to shore, must been one heckuva short dude...

Looks like they nicked the tail boom when they touched tho!

Cheers
H.

Very sad news this morning.....19 Fire Fighters from the Prescott Arizona Fire Department's Hot Shot Team were killed when they were over run by a Forest Fire.

They evidently retreated to their preselected Safety Zone, Deployed their Emergency Fire Shelters, but did not survive.

This is the worst such tragedy I can recall.

Fire Fighting is a very dangerous affair sometimes.

A presentation on Individual Fire Shelters....history, design, and testing.

http://www.fs.fed.us/t-d/programs/fi...s/shelhist.pdf

Rumor on the street is that the crew was doing a "direct attack" and the wind shifted on them.

This tragic incident will join the list of multiple death fires, Man Gulch, Storm King Mountain, (or South Canyon fire as some call it), Thirty mile, Iron 44 to name a few.

I know there are not too many other fire pilots on here, but to all I say, call home to your loved ones, and keep your head on a swivel.

RIP my friends.