This tweet was posted by George Geissler, a Washington State Forester and Deputy Supervisor, Wildland Fire Management and Forest Resiliency.Congratulations to the Washington State Department of Natural Resources for the first flight of their 10th helicopter. The agency began acquiring their military surplus UH-1H (B-205) ships in 1989 through the Federal Excess Property Program.
In an interview last September Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz talked about their aviation program and the addition of this helicopter. She believes in aggressive initial attack and keeping fires small:
“Helicopters are number one in initial attack and being able to get on top of fires quickly, get them contained, and help our firefighters get in safely… And then we can put the fire out and move on to the next one.”
Our helicopters and planes allow us to quickly get to #wildfires when they ignite. That’s why I was thrilled to talk to @KING5Seattle about the new #helicopter we’re adding to our fleet in 2020. This is a great addition as we look to be more effective at keeping fires small. pic.twitter.com/WzBgwQSRAX
— Hilary Franz (@Hilary_FranzCPL) September 6, 2019
