Two firefighters killed in Spain

Two firefighters have died while battling a fire in Spain’s eastern province of Alicante. Both of them passed away in an Alicante city hospital, one on Sunday and the other on Monday, after suffering injuries on the fire. Two other crew members are being treated in the hospital.

The fire in Alicante is one of six burning throughout Spain. On the Canary Island of La Gomera, hundreds of residents were forced to evacuate by boat to escape a wildfire.

Forest Service firefighter killed in Idaho

The U.S. Forest Service announced that a firefighter was killed in the line of duty Sunday afternoon, August 12, while working on the Steep Corner fire near Orofino, Idaho. The Lewiston Tribune reported that Rick Brazell, supervisor of the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest, said the firefighter was struck when one tree fell and crashed into another tree, causing it to fall in a domino effect. Anne Veseth, from Moscow, was killed while working on the Steep Corner fire near Orofino.

Veseth, 20, was a graduate of Moscow High School and a student at Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston. This was her second season as a firefighter. Her older brother is also a wildland firefighter.

The Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest said the Clearwater Potlatch Timber Protective Association (CPTPA) stationed out of Orofino, Idaho was managing the suppression response on the fire. CPTPA is a local cooperative initial attack association responsible for fire suppression in the area. The Forest Service was cooperatively assisting in suppression of the fire.

Our sincere condolences go out to the family and coworkers.

Helicopters at Salmon, Idaho

Skycrane at Salmon ID
Helicopter 795, a Sikorsky Skycrane, at Salmon, Idaho, August 12, 2012. Wildfire Today photo.

Here is a sampling of some of the helicopters that were based at the Salmon, Idaho airport, working on wildfires in southern Idaho on Sunday, August 12, 2012.

Sikorsky S-61N Coulson-Billings Flying Service
Sikorsky S-61N, owned by Coulson Aviation, operated by Billings Flying Service. Wildfire Today photo
Bell 205A-1 at Salmon ID
Bell 205A-1 owned by Heligroup Fire. Wildfire Today photo

 

Photos of Tanker 41 and smokejumpers at Missoula.

Tanker 41 at Missoula
Tanker 41. Wildfire Today photo

Here are a couple of photos taken at Missoula, Montana today. Tanker 41 is the second BAe-146 that Neptune Aviation has leased from Tronos, a company based on Prince Edward Island in Canada. The air tanker can’t be put into service for the U.S. Forest Service until the agency resolves a protest about the contracts that were recently awarded for next generation air tankers.

The photo below shows smokejumpers loading onto a Twin Otter aircraft after being dispatched to a fire.

Smokejumpers loading onto an aircraft
Smokejumpers loading onto an aircraft at Missoula, August 11, 2012. Wildfire Today photo.

And, for a bonus, we have a photo of the TBM air tanker that Missoula’s Museum of Mountain Flying purchased last year. The TBM flew into Missoula on October 10, 2011 and is on display at the museum. TBM’s could carry about 600 gallons of retardant. This compares to the 3,000 the BAe-146 can hold. or the 20,000 gallon capacity of the 747 supertanker.

TBM air tanker at Missoula
A TBM air tanker at Missoula’s Museum of Mountain Flying. Wildfire Today photo.

Both DC-10s are being used on fires

Tanker 911 dropping Poco Fire
Tanker 911 dropping on the Poco Fire in Arizona, June 15, 2012. Photo by Ian James.

The U.S. Forest Service has activated one of the DC-10 air tankers twice this year to supplement the fleet of nine exclusive use air tankers available to help firefighters suppress wildfires. But now, for the first time since the Oak Glen fire in 2009, both of 10 Tanker Air Carrier’s DC-10s are working at the same time. On Tuesday both Tanker 910 and Tanker 911 were assigned to fires on which they were the sole air tankers working the fires.

Rick Hatton, President of 10 Tanker Air Carrier, told Wildfire Today:

While this is not the exclusive use contracting we seek, we are hopeful that the contribution two DC 10s will make toward effective fire suppression this season will convince the authorities that multiple 10s should become a permanent part of the future fleet.

The DC-10 always carries 11,600 gallons of retardant and does not have to reduce their load based on density altitude (air temperature and elevation) like all other air tankers. The P2Vs which comprise eight of the nine air tankers now being used on exclusive use use contracts can only carry about 2,000 gallons. The newer next generation air tankers, three of which will begin working on fires later this year if a contract dispute can be settled, have a 3,000-gallon capacity. One BAe-146 that has been operated by Neptune Aviation since last fall can also hold up to 3,000 gallons.

The DC-10 is classified as a “Very Large Air Tanker” and its size makes it impossible to be accommodated at most air tanker facilities. However, it can reload with retardant at eight bases in the western United States, has a cruising speed of 564 mph, and has a capacity equal to almost six P2Vs. A P2V cruises at 225 mph.

Reload bases for the DC-10 air tanker

DC-10 Tanker 911 on the Robbers Fire
DC-10 Tanker 911 on the Robbers Fire in California July 15, 2012. Photo by David Wilson. (Click to see a larger version.)

With the DC-10 being activated again, I am reminded of the shortage of air tankers during the Myrtle fire in the Black Hills of South Dakota a few weeks ago, which during the first six hours had no large air tankers. On the radio a conversation between two people in the Operations section could be heard discussing the no-show of the air show. I could sense the frustration in their voices. One of them suggested that they consider requesting the DC-10 Very Large Air Tanker, but they did not know with certainty the nearest air tanker base where it could land and reload with retardant.

They knew that the aircraft is too large for most of the dozens of air tanker bases, since it has a wing span of around 160 feet and a weight of about a half million pounds. The physical layout of the bases and the runway, taxiways, and ramps at the airports are not designed for the size and weight of such a large air tanker.

However, there are eight bases that can accommodate the DC-10 in the western United States, according to Pam Baltimore, an Acting Public Affairs Officer for the U.S. Forest Service in Washington D.C.

  • SBD – San Bernardino, CA
  • MCC – McClellen – CA (Sacramento)
  • MWH – Moses Lake, WA
  • BOI – Boise, ID
  • IWA – Mesa-Gateway, AZ (Phoenix)
  • HIF – Hill AFB, UT
  • HLN – Helena, MT
  • CPR – Casper, WY

When contemplating using a DC-10 air tanker on a fire, aviation personnel consider, in addition to the cost per delivered gallon, the fact that it can cruise at 564 MPH, and the retardant capacity of 11,600 gallons, equivalent to almost six P2V or four BAe-146 air tankers, which carry about 2,000 and 3,000 gallons, respectively.