News and opinion about wildland fire
Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories Uncategorized1 Comment on USFS announces new contracts for 7 next-generation air tankers Today the U.S. Forest Service announced they intend to award contracts to five companies for a total of seven next-generation air tankers. The companies with winning bids were Minden, Aero Air (aka Erickson Aerotanker), Aero Flite, Coulson, and 10 Tanker Air Carrier.
More information is at Fire Aviation.
Michigan woman found dead in wildfire
From the Milan News-Leader in Milan, Michigan:
The 76-year-old London Township woman found dead Wednesday afternoon from a fire in a wooded area was trying to get away when she was trapped by a fence. The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office has identified her as Anna Eliva Pinto, a resident of 10460 Darling Road. Investigators believe she was burning brush when the fire grew out of control and she was unable to escape it.
Firefighters worked several hours to extinguish the fire that affected an area of 5-7 acres. Milan Fire Chief Robert Stevens said fire suppression efforts were well underway when a Milan firefighter found the deceased woman by a 6-foot fence that separates properties in the eastern side of the area.
Chief Deputy John Plath with the sheriff’s office said investigators believe Pinto was trying to walk or run to the east and was stopped by the fence. She was overcome by smoke and flames, he said. She suffered some burns but the cause of death has not yet been determined, he said. He said it is possible smoke inhalation or other medical issues could have contributed to her death.
Animation of satellite images of smoke from the Springs Fire northwest of Los Angeles
The Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies put together an animation using still images from a GOES weather satellite which shows the evolution of smoke from the Springs Fire which has burned about 28,000 acres. Check it out at this Discover Magazine web site… then scroll down until you see the “Click to Play” video.
More information about the Springs Fire at Wildfire Today.
Springs Fire narrated slide show
A narrated slide show of photographs of the Springs Fire is very much worth two minutes of your time. It features photos taken by Los Angeles Times photographers.
Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories Uncategorized6 Comments on When to activate military air tankers There is an ongoing discussion about military air tankers vs. commercial air tankers in the comments below our article about the activation of two California National Guard C-130 Modular Airborne FireFighting Systems (MAFFS) air tankers. Some questioned using government resources when the services should be provided by private companies. The Economy Act of 1932 is frequently referenced during similar conversations, since it specifies the conditions under which a federal government agency can contract for services from another government agency.
The following is an excerpt from an article at the Department of Commerce:
The Economy Act of 1932, as amended, 31 U.S.C. § 1535, permits Federal Government agencies to purchase goods or services from other Federal Government agencies. An Economy Act purchase is permitted only if … the ordered goods or services cannot be provided by contract from a commercial enterprise, i.e., the private sector, as conveniently or cheaply as could be by the Government…
The interpretation of this as to how it applies to using military air tankers could get complicated if the requesting agency, i.e., U. S. Forest Service, makes a determination, honestly and without bias, about the existing need for air tankers. For 10 years the leaders of the USFS and the Department of Agriculture have been saying they have plenty of resources to fight wildfires, in spite of continuing budget reductions and increasing numbers of acres burned. In 2012 they were comfortable with 11, and later 9, large air tankers, even though some of the 7 air tanker studies they commissioned since 1996 have recommended 35 or more. And even though we had 44 in 2002.
Fast, aggressive, initial attack on new fires is necessary to reduce the number of fires that become megafires. This can save taxpayers money, and save lives as well. (Last year in Colorado six people died in wildfires.) Even if all of the 8, or later this year possibly 15, federal air tankers are not at the moment committed to ongoing fires, how many air tankers should we actually have standing by, ready for fast, aggressive initial attack? If they are all committed to fires, that would leave none, and that’s not an intelligent strategy.
If we actually need 25 or 35 or 45 large air tankers for ongoing fires and for initial attack, having only 8 or 15 on contract could continually justify implementing the Economy Act of 1932 to hire the 8 military MAFFS air tankers. But of course that is not feasible… or smart.
The logical strategy is to adequately fund a viable fleet of 25 to 45 modern, safe, large, very large, and scooper air tankers, consisting of an assortment of sizes and capabilities.
And the usual disclaimer: air tankers don’t put out fires. Under the right conditions, they can slow them down, allowing ground-based firefighters the opportunity to extinguish them. A drop from a helicopter or air tanker is usually only effective if it can be followed up by personnel on the ground.
While the extreme fire weather conditions in southern California have eased, Red Flag warnings have been issued for the northern part of the state until 4 p.m. on Saturday for north winds at 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph, and humidities of 10 to 15 percent. A Red Flag Warning is also in effect for an area in eastern Texas.
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The Red Flag Warning map above was current as of 11:08 a.m. MT on Saturday. Red Flag Warnings can change throughout the day as the National Weather Service offices around the country update and revise their forecasts. For the most current data, visit this NWS site.
Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories Uncategorized12 Comments on 2 Military air tankers activated for California fires 
On Friday the Governor of California activated two California National Guard C-130 aircraft from the 146th Airlift Wing to serve as air tankers in the fight against the wildfires burning in the state. Governor Edmund G. Brown responded to a request from Cal EMA and CAL FIRE to utilize the capabilities of the Modular Airborne FireFighting Systems (MAFFS) which can be loaded into the cargo hold of the C-130s enabling them to drop up to 3,000 gallons of retardant on wildfires.
The state also authorized Channel Islands Air National Guard Station (CIANGS) in Port Hueneme where the C-130s are stationed, to be used as a retardant reload base for civilian and military aircraft working the fires in Callifornia, allowing shorter turn around times for those working the Springs fire about five miles away, which grew to 28,000 acres on Friday. CAL FIRE employees are working with Air National Guard members to get the tanker base operations up and running.
The interagency agreement between the U.S. Forest Service and the Department of Defense requires that MAFFS be operational within 48 hours. However they usually have responded within 36 hours of the initial request. If that holds true this time, the California MAFFS may be available to fight fires by late in the day on Saturday, or more likely, on Sunday.
There are six other military MAFFS air tankers that have not yet been activated, stationed in Colorado, Wyoming, and North Carolina. One from North Carolina, MAFFS #7, crashed in South Dakota in 2012, killing four and injuring two.
The four MAFFS from Wyoming and North Carolina are scheduled to conduct their joint annual training and recertification next week in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The two aircraft units in Colorado held theirs a couple of weeks ago.
Californians are dealing with the effects of a very dry winter which has left the forests and brushlands with live fuel moistures that are typically only seen late in the summer. Multiple fires have broken out across the state in the last few days. Most have been kept to less than a couple of hundred acres due to aggressive initial attacks by firefighters in the air and on the ground, but at least three have burned about 3,000 acres or more.
Another airborne weapon will join the fire fight on Saturday, a DC-10 air tanker that carries 11,600 gallons of retardant.
The map shows the distribution of smoke from wildfires in California. It was produced at 3:22 p.m. PT, May 3, 2013.
