Tag: Fire Traffic Area

Today we are continuing an occasional weekend feature called Fire Traffic Area. This post serves as the beginning of an open thread where readers can leave comments about issues not yet covered — or maybe they have been covered. This is literally an off-topic thread. What do you think needs to be pointed out, asked, or discussed within the fire aviation community? You have the floor.

The usual rules about commenting apply. And remember, no personal attacks or politics, please.

Today we are continuing an occasional weekend feature called Fire Traffic Area. This post serves as the beginning of an open thread where readers can leave comments about issues not yet covered — or maybe they have been covered. This is literally an off-topic thread. What do you think needs to be pointed out, asked, or discussed within the fire aviation community? You have the floor.

The usual rules about commenting apply. And remember, no personal attacks or politics, please.

A few weeks ago Wildfire Today started an occasional weekend feature called The Staging Area, a concept borrowed from The War Zone’s Bunker Talk. The posts serve as the beginning of an open thread where readers can talk about issues not yet covered. Or maybe they have been. It is literally an off-topic thread.

Jeff left a comment  at The Staging Area, June 3, 2022:

Bill, what do you think about having one of these topics over on the Aviation side? Maybe call it the “Fire Traffic Area”?

So here we are. The inaugural edition of The Fire Traffic Area.

The usual rules about commenting apply. And remember, no personal attacks, please.

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For those who don’t get the reference, there are rules and procedures that regulate and organize the operation of aircraft over a fire. Here are excerpts  from NWCG Standards for Airspace Coordination, pages 126-127, dated May, 2018.

“The FTA was developed by aerial firefighting personnel to provide a standardized initial attack airspace structure and protocol to enhance traffic separation over wildfires or other incidents. The structure and communication requirements are patterned after Class D airspace with some specific differences. It emphasizes established communications, procedures to ensure clearances are received, understood, and followed. An aircraft should NOT enter the FTA until it receives a clearance.

“Participating aircraft must adhere to TFR regulations as established by the FAA. If, for example, the boundary of a TFR polygon exceeds the 12-mile initial contact ring, clearance will still be required in order to enter the TFR. If the TFR boundary is within the 12-mile ring, proceed with standard FTA communication procedures.

“The standard FTA utilizes a minimum 5 NM radius from the incident latitude and longitude, although a radius greater than 5 NM may be utilized if needed by the incident. The 3,000 AGL minimum FTA ceiling may also vary if additional vertical room is needed by the Aerial Supervisor to accommodate the operational requirements of participating aircraft.

“There is an initial Contact ring established as a 12 NM radius from the designated center point, and a 7 NM NOCOM ring where aircraft must hold until contact is established. If no communications are established, an aircraft may not penetrate the FTA any further. The NOCOM holding options include a 7 NM option or a quadrant option.”

(UPDATE July 21, 2022: Some of the documents associated with the NWCG Standards for Aerial Supervision, PMS 505 were revised this month, including the Fire Traffic Area (FTA) which was announced by the NWCG today. We deleted the now obsolete diagram and replaced it with the new version below. The full two page document, PMS 505d, can be downloaded here.)