Air tanker update

Tanker 40 taxiing to takeoff to begin its fire season, May 25, 2012
Tanker 40 taxiing before takeoff 5:55 p.m. MDT, May 25, 2012. As it left the Neptune hangar at Missoula, Neptune's P2V that is used for training pilots can be seen in the background. Tanker 40 returned to the hangar later in the evening.

Next Generation air tankers

The U.S. Forest Service, after saying earlier that they would make the announcement “by the end of April”, still has not made public any decisions about contracts for the next generation of air tankers. The contract solicitation closed February 15, 2012. These next-gen aircraft are supposed to carry (preferably) 3,000 to 5,000 gallons of retardant, shall be able to cruise at 300 knots, and will have turbine or jet engines. We have heard rumors about why the contracts have not been awarded, which we are attempting to confirm.

The inability of the U.S. Forest Service to make a decision about additional contracts is putting a serious dampener on many air tanker operators and their hopes of putting more aircraft in the air. These contractors can’t go to the bank and borrow millions of dollars to buy an aircraft by saying, “We think the USFS may give us a contract this year, or next year, or maybe the year after that; but really we have no friggin’ idea what the USFS is going to do. And if we do buy one, we don’t know if the Interagency Air Tanker Board will approve it. If we do get a contract, and if the aircraft is approved by the IATB, we don’t know exactly how many flying hours we will get paid for each year.” For some reason, bankers have little empathy for such an approach.

And some people wonder why the number of air tankers on contract has seen a 75% reduction over the last 10 years — from 44 in 2002 to the 10 or 11 (10.5 ?) we have today.

Air tanker list

On Friday there were 10 large air tankers on contract and active:

  • 3 in Nevada
  • 2 in New Mexico
  • 1 in Arizona
  • 2 in Colorado
  • 2 in California

The last time we obtained the list of large air tankers that were on exclusive use contracts was April 19, 2012. Now as you can see below, there is an updated list, dated today, May 25. There are two notable changes: Tanker 40 (with “interim approval”) is added, and Tanker 10 dropped off.

It was Tanker 10  that had the 24-inch crack in a wing spar and skin, causing the FAA to issue an Emergency Airworthiness Directive in February. Dan Snyder, President of Neptune told Wildfire Today on Friday that they have decided to not repair the aircraft this year, but to put it in “ready” storage.

Air tanker contract list May 25, 2012
Air tanker contract list May 25, 2012. NICC.

Tanker 40

BAe-146 Tanker 40
Neptune's Tanker 40, a BAe-146. Photo from Neptune's web site.

Neptune’s jet-powered air tanker, a BAe-146, will go on contract tomorrow, May 26 and will work through October 5. Tanker 40 is being brought on as “additional equipment” on their existing contract. As of Friday night, there was no Resource Order for the air tanker and it was sitting at Missoula. (UPDATE 11:20 a.m. MT, May 26: A flight plan for the aircraft was filed for it to depart Missoula at 11:00 a.m on May 26. en route to Alamagordo, New Mexico, for an estimated arrival at 1:55 p.m. MT. This would put it fairly close to the Whitewater-Baldy fire. It actually took off at 11:20 a.m. UPDATE again: before it arrived at Alamagordo, it was diverted to Albuquerque, New Mexico.)

Tanker 40 is still working under “interim” approval from the Interagency Air Tanker Board. At the end of this year it will be reevaluated and considered for full approval, based on how it performed while dropping retardant, and how it interfaced with ground crews at air tanker bases. During the winter some changes were made to the aircraft to improve its performance.

In a news release dated April 21, 2012, Neptune stated that by the beginning of the 2012 fire season they expected to take delivery of two more BAe-146 air tankers, and by 2021 they will acquire nine more, for a total of 11. These would replace the nine 50+ year old military surplus P2V air tankers they are currently operating.

Neptune has recently revamped their web site, and on it we found this statement today, indicating that they revised their air tanker acquisition schedule, most likely due to the U.S. Forest Service’s dithering about the next gen contracts.

By the end of summer 2012, we will have 3 BAe-146 large airtankers. By 2016, there will be 11 modern, large airtankers. This fleet will have the capability of being dispatched to customers worldwide.

“Worldwide”. Hmmm. Which makes me think, would I want to fly a P2V to Greece? Or Australia? Thanks, but, NO! I would be surprised if anyone would, especially after several of them have been forced to make emergency landings in the last few months at Missoula and Prescott with dead engines, or landing gear that had to be manually lowered, giving airport firefighters something to do by escorting the air tankers down the runways as they landed. So these new air tankers may give Neptune Aviation a capability they previously didn’t have. Who knows… maybe some of them will end up down under during the northern hemisphere’s winter.

Minden also has two P2Vs, and is converting a BAe-146 into an air tanker — a project that has been going on for well over a year.

minden-bae-146-in-hangar
Minden's BAe-146 during the conversion process. Photo: Minden, used with permission

Whitewater-Baldy fire grows to 82,252 acres; 12 cabins burned

Whitewater-Baldy fire 0800 MDT May 25, 2012
Map of the Whitewater-Baldy fire, showing heat detected by satellites at 8:00 a.m. MDT May 25, 2012

The Whitewater-Baldy fire in southwest New Mexico grew on Thursday to 82,252 acres. The Incident Management Team announced that 12 cabins have burned as well as 13 outbuildings. Below is an update provided by the IMTeam on InciWeb:

====================================================

Friday, May 25, 2012 – AM Update: The Whitewater-Baldy Complex grew yesterday to a total of 82,252 acres. Fire behavior was not as extreme as was observed the previous two days. The complex continues to burn in steep, rugged terrain consisting of mixed conifer and continues to be primarily wind and terrain driven. The Whitewater Fire merged with the Baldy Fire on Wednesday, May 23, causing suppression and incident management forces to combine into Whitewater-Baldy Complex.

The fire is currently burning on 3 Ranger Districts, the Glenwood, Reserve and Wilderness Ranger Districts along with an area of private land known as Willow Creek Subdivision. Twelve cabins have been confirmed as lost in this subdivision along with 13 out-buildings. There were NO additional structures lost in the last 24 hours in the Willow Creek Subdivision. Personnel from New Mexico State Forestry and U.S. Forest made all necessary contacts with effected landowners yesterday. Structural protection and damage assessment continue in Willow Creek and structure protection assessments were also initiated in the village of Mogollon.

Due to extreme fire behavior, proximity to private land, and continued high winds forecasted, Tony Sciacca’s Southwest Type 1 Fire Management Team was ordered and arrived in Reserve yesterday. They will assume command of the complex on Saturday morning.

The complex remains at 0% containment as firefighters are unable to directly suppress the fire due to extreme fire behavior and rough terrain. They were, however, able to directly and successfully attack a few spot fires out ahead of the fire on the north end. Crews will continue their hard work today in preparing fire lines across and along the Mineral Creek drainage. Indirect fire line was constructed to the north from Bursum Road to Log Canyon trail connecting to a jeep trail.

Winds are predicted to continue to challenge fire fighters today and tomorrow, shifting from a southwesterly wind to more of a southern wind. Firefighters will be carefully monitoring winds as they continue their efforts. Smoke impacts continue to be substantial in communities to the east and northeast of the complex. A voluntary-evacuation of the town of Mogollon continues to be in effect. Approximately 506 personnel are currently assigned to the fire.

See the latest update on the Whitewater-Baldy fire, dated May 27, 2012.


World’s smallest fire truck?

Is this the world’s smallest fire truck?

Here is a comment left on YouTube from a person who said he was the driver of the “truck”:

This Truck is an old “people mover” golf cart converted to a “fire truck” It is used for parades to drive sparky around and to drive little kids around making them feel like they are in a real truck. It is NOT a brush fire truck and will never be used to fight an actual fire. It is VERY popular with kids and with the parents. The smiles on kids faces are priceless when they hop in and put the lights on. How do i know…im the driver in this video.

Railroad pays $3.3 million to settle wildfire suit

Grayling fire
The 2008 Grayling fire was one of a few that were capable of jumping a 4-lane highway and median. This photo shows the fire as it spread toward Grayling after it jumped across I-75. DNR photo.

In a story that Wildfire Today has been following since February, 2010, a railroad company in Michigan has agreed to pay $3.3 million to settle a suit filed by a landowner over damage caused by a 2008 wildfire.  This comes after the company, Lake State Railway in Michigan, pleaded no contest on January 2, 2011 to criminal charges of operating a locomotive without a spark arrestor and was ordered to pay $294,752 in restitution and a $1,000 fine after their railroad engine started the fire that burned 1,300 acres of forest, several homes, and other buildings near Grayling, Michigan. The same locomotive engine was suspected of starting 11 other fires in Alpena, Michigan on April 5, 2010.

On September 17, 2010 the Grayling Game Club filed a civil suit against the railroad. During the fire in 2008, 500 acres of the club’s property burned, in addition to several cabins. Michigan law allows for the club to recover triple the value of the property destroyed, which was estimated to be over $1 million. The club was represented by Southfield, Michigan attorney Paul F. Doherty. Mr. Doherty told Wildfire Today that Lake State Railway paid $3.3 million to settle the claims of the Game Club and two members who lost cabins in the fire.

Often, railroad companies get away with starting wildfires. Few are investigated, and even fewer result in settlements or prosecution.

Maps of wildfire smoke, May 24, 2012

Smoke map, 844 pm MDT, May 24, 2012
Smoke map, 8:44 p.m. MDT, May 24, 2012

Smoke from the Whitewater-Baldy fire in New Mexico is combining with smoke from fires in Mexico to create some areas of dense smoke in the Mid-South, including areas in the states of Tennessee, Missouri, Mississippi, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, and Illinois.

Smoke from Whitewater-Baldy fire,, 730 pm MDT, May 24, 2012
Smoke from the Whitewater-Baldy fire in New Mexico blows toward Texas at 7:30 p.m. MDT, May 24, 2012