In Southern California in October 2007, hundreds of square miles in seven counties were consumed and scorched by scores of brush fires, their flames fueled by high desert winds and hot temperatures. California authorities said the blazes, raging from the Simi Valley northwest of Los Angeles through San Diego County to the Mexican border, were responsible for several deaths. The fires consumed well over 1,400 homes and commercial structures, and threatened tens of thousands of others. As many as 500,000 people were estimated to have evacuated and thousands more were ordered to move, making the evacuation effort roughly half the size of that from the New Orleans area after Hurricane Katrina.

Aerial Firefighting

The United States Forest Service is the largest user of aerial firefighting aircraft. They deploy a variety of aircraft in order to fight wildfires. The range of aircraft includes smaller helicopters to large DC-10 aircraft. On a local level, some police agencies use their aircraft to fight small wildfires. These small wildfires are not confined to rural areas. The New York City Police Department Aviation Unit (NYPD) conducts approximately 25 aerial firefighting operations a year within the borders of the City of New York.

The Mission

Aerial firefighting missions can certainly be considered high risk. Not only does the flight crew have to contend with the usual safety of flight issues, they now have to fly fairly low, often very close to smoke and flying debris. Teamwork is essential for the safe and effective completion of these missions. When an aircraft is called to a scene to assist with aerial firefighting operations, there are many considerations for the flight crew. Where exactly do fire ground commanders want the water drops? Are there any persons in the drop area? Considering that a load of water can weigh up to 1500 lbs, the danger to persons or property on the ground becomes obvious. What are the wind conditions? In short, the mission becomes a complex consideration of risk vs. benefit. The missions are not carried out lightly.

The flight crew normally receives a ground briefing from fire commanders or receives the information in-flight. After conducting several reconnaissance runs, noting the winds, obstructions and possible sources of water, the flight crew determines if the mission can be conducted safely. Possible sources of water include the ocean, lakes, ponds, rivers, swimming pools and water pumped from ground fire vehicles. Helicopters may be fitted with tanks or carry buckets. Tanks are filled using a long hose that is dipped into the water source, while buckets are usually filled by submerging in lakes, rivers, reservoirs, or portable tanks. The most popular of the buckets is the flexible Bambi Bucket.