Helicopters: essential for Fire Fighting

  Red Salmon Complex

HELICOPTER Operations – Essential Fire Fighting Resources
        Full report with photos 

Everyday, locals hear the “whop-whop-whop” of helicopters flying overhead to the Red Salmon Complex. The fires are in the Trinity Alps Wilderness where the Klamath Mountains are steep and rugged and there is no motorized vehicle access. Helicopters of various sizes and capabilities are assigned to the incident for transporting fire crews, delivering equipment and food, dropping water to aid with suppression and are available for medical evacuation.

Firefighters are transported in and out of the fire to build control lines and fuel breaks, install hoselays, and other firefighting activities. Because of the distance and logistics, crews are flown to a helispot near their work area, set up a spike camp (essentially a primitive camp) and stay the night. Food, supplies, and equipment are delivered to them. Crews stay in their own working groups and do not gather in larger camps to limit exposure between crews.

Helitack modules typically travel to a fire by helicopter and may land near a wildfire or, if equipped and trained, rappel from a hovering helicopter. Once safely landed, they engage in firefighting activities. On the Red Salmon Complex, six helitack crews are currently assigned but have primarily been assisting with helicopter operations to support the large number of crews working on the fire.

Scott Valley Helitack module at the Willow Creek helibase ready to assist in helicopter operations.     US Forest Service photo by G. Scott

There are presently 15 helicopters assigned to the Red Salmon Complex. They are stationed at the Willow Creek, Weaverville, and Scott Valley helibases.
 

Brian Sexton, Air Operations Branch Director, explained “Our biggest challenge is with smoke and inversions that affect flying; thus, we have multiple bases so that we can operate if one of them is open.”

A mix of Type 1, 2, and 3 helicopters are on site; they are ranked based on their lift capability. The Type 1 or “heavies” are the heavy lifters- dropping water to help cool the fire and delivering heavy cargo to the spike camps. The Type 2 or “mediums” have a wide application. They assist with transporting firefighters (6 to 9 at a time), sling loading supplies and food, and water drops on the fire. The smallest are Type 3 or “lights” and used in missions like reconnaissance by fire managers.

Additionally, two US Forest Service Firewatch Cobras are at the fire. Known as air attack, they are used by managers to coordinate the air space when multiple aircraft are flying at one time. They also gather fire intelligence such as GIS mapping and have specialized systems for real time fire monitoring. They are notable looking ships with an unusually narrow appearance for their size.

It is impressive to see a Type 1 or 2 helicopter carrying a water bucket which they fill by submerging or dipping into a water source, like a lake or reservoir, river, or portable tank which has been filled by an engine. Alternately, some helicopters are equipped with a snorkel (hose) which draws water into their belly tank. Water is then dropped on locations specified by ground supervisors to cool the fires edge. On the Red Salmon Complex helicopters have been filling from mountain lakes and from a dip site on the Klamath River near Orleans.

There are many support personnel for helicopter operations making communication key for safe and efficient work.While aerial resources are crucial for suppressing wilderness fires like the Red Salmon Complex, weather often throws a wild card. The topography, prevailing wind patterns, and inversions have limited flying to mornings and later afternoons in recent days; thus, fire personnel must be self-reliant without helicopters, which increases the complexity of working in the remote Klamath Mountains.