WASHINGTON, July 22, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Some of the
nation's aerial firefighting companies are already predicting fewer
wildland fires this year, in contrast to the numerous devastating
wildfires, of the past several years.
"Due to the heavy winter and spring precipitation, the 2019 fire
season started late compared to last year--in many of the Western
states," noted Dan Snyder, Chief
Operating Officer of Neptune Aviation Services, a Missoula, Montana-based operator of
fixed-wing, large tankers. "In fact, US Forest Service (USFS)
forecasts are calling for lower than average fire activity in much
of the West, at least through October; although there might be some
elevated fire activity in the coastal regions of California, Oregon and Washington."
Neptune Aviation Services has five BAe 146 tankers, out of a
total fleet of nine, currently engaged in fire retardant dropping.
A year ago, as many as eight would have been in the field by
mid-July, according to Snyder. Of the five, one has been working
out of Fairbanks, Alaska, under a
USFS call when needed contract on the huge Swan Lake fire, since July 10. The other four are operating under
exclusive use USFS contracts, including two flying out of
Phoenix on multiple fires; one
flying on the Buffalo fire in Nevada, and another prepositioned at
Fresno, California, for initial
attack, as needed.
Brian Jorgenson, Vice President
of Timberline Helicopters, reported that the Sandpoint, Idaho, company is currently
operating two UH-60 Blackhawk
helicopters in Alaska, on both the
Swan Lake fire, and the Shovel
Creek fire in the Kenai-Kodiak
region. Both are flying under call when needed contracts from the
Alaska Department of Forestry. At the same time, two of the
company's Kaman K-MAX heavy lift helicopters, under USFS exclusive
use contracts, are prepositioned in California at Yreka and Placerville.
"Except for the two big fires in Alaska, we have worked on a few small ones,
but nothing like what we had during the past few years," said
Jorgenson. "I don't think the 2019 fire season will be as busy as
those we have seen in previous years."
Robin Rogers, Vice President of
Fresno-based Rogers Helicopters,
predicts that the 2019 fire season may be more regional than in
recent years, and is more likely to ramp up should major lightning
strikes and high winds occur. "We might see some activity in the
coastal areas, but not much on the Eastern side of the Sierras," he
remarked. "There's just too much water out there."
For the past three weeks, two Rogers Helicopters Bell 212s have
operated on call when needed contracts with the state of
Alaska, with one at Fairbanks, and the other at Tok.
Two additional Bell 212s are positioned in California in the El
Dorado and Stanislaw National Forests. "Those two
helicopters are ready to go, although there have been no fires," he
said.
For Keith Saylor, Director of
Commercial Operations for Portland,
Oregon-based Columbia Helicopters, "there is no question
that the wildland fire season has gotten off to a slow start this
year, and difficult to predict how long it will be," he said.
To date, Saylor reported, the company has deployed three CH-47Ds
on fires in the Western US. "One is flying on a fire out of
Canon City, Colorado, while the
other two have been in Arizona for
the past six to eight weeks, and are currently based at
Sedona and Springerville," he said. "While most of the
action so far this year has been in the Southwest and Alaska, it's just now starting to heat up in
the Rocky Mountains where the fire activity is increasing. However,
as the summer progresses we expect to see increased activity along
the western states, as that area experiences hot, dry weather."
Saylor added that two of operator's Columbia Model 234s, and one
Columbia Model 107, are under USFS CWN contracts, and are currently
sitting in Aurora Oregon ready for
deployment, should they be required.
Helimax Aviation is also feeling the impact of what Josh Beckham, the company's General Manager, has
termed "a very mild fire season," Helimax Aviation has four CH 47-D
Chinook helicopters under USFS contracts. "Two, which are under
exclusive use contracts, have been on fires in Oregon and Arizona, while the other two, which are under
call when needed contracts, are in Howell, Michigan, and McClellan, California, awaiting call up," Beckham
explained. Last year, all four were active most of the time.
Beckham does not anticipate any great changes in wildland fire
events until at least the fall, when the combination of dry grass
and the Santa Ana winds in
Southern California raise the fire
risk considerably. "In the meantime, we are fully staffed and ready
to go in case of a sudden flare up," he stressed.
At Erickson, Inc., the relatively quiet firefighting season in
the US has been offset by opportunities off-shore for the
operator's fleet of S64 helicopters, of which six are currently on
fire duty in Greece.
"We have been on several fires in Europe doing initial attack, and in March, we
were very busy in Chile," reported
Andrew Mills, President-Commercial
Aviation for the Portland,
Oregon-headquartered company. "Right now, we have 10 to 14
S64s engaged in firefighting, including some under exclusive use
contracts with multiple fire agencies, and some on call when needed
contracts with the USFS, the Oregon Department of Forestry, and the
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire)," he said. "We are expecting the fire
season to remain quiet at this time, based on snowpack and fire
weather forecasts. How it will go from this point forward is hard
to predict."
Columbia Helicopters, Erickson, Inc., Helimax Aviation, Neptune
Aviation Services, Rogers Helicopters, and Timberline Helicopters
are members of the American Helicopter Services and Aerial
Firefighting Association (AHSAFA). The Washington, D.C. based trade association
represents the interests of the privately owned and operated aerial
firefighting industry in the US before the USFS, and other agencies
tasked with wildland management and fire protection.
SOURCE American Helicopter Service and Aerial Firefighting
Association