Fire Traffic Areas explained

The graphic above shows what is known as a Fire Traffic Area (FTA). It differs from temporary flight restrictions in that an FTA is not a part of the National Airspace System. However, it does serve a vital function in keeping fire fighting aircraft safe as they do their business. 

The fire traffic area was designed and implemented after the 2001 mid-air collision of tankers 92 and 87 near Ukiah CA in order to provide a safe working environment for aircraft working a fire. A typical fire traffic area is five nautical mile (nm) radius from the fire. Different types of aircraft working a fire are assigned altitudes based on their functions at the time. Aircraft are expected to maintain the altitude separations expressed in this graphic. The two most important aspects of the fire traffic area are communications and discipline.

The air tactical group supervisor (ATGS) circles with right turns at approximately 2,500 feet above ground level. What does the ATGS do? The 2009 Interagency Aerial Supervision Guide (NFES 2544, p. 3) provides an answer:

The ATGS manages incident airspace and controls incident air traffic. The ATGS is an airborne firefighter who coordinates, assigns, and evaluates the use of aerial resources in support of incident objectives. The ATGS is the link between ground personnel and incident aircraft. The ATGS must collaborate with ground personnel to develop and implement tactical and logistical missions on an incident. The ATGS must also work with dispatch staff to coordinate the ordering, assignment, and release of incident aircraft in accordance with the needs of fire management and incident command personnel.

Before tankers enter the fire traffic area they orbit at the initial contact ring at 12 nautical miles. Here the pilot communicates, and only after getting clearance does the tanker enter the fire traffic area. If the pilot is unable to establish communications, they hold at the 7 nautical mile NOCOM ring, with left turns, until they are established.

Ok, looking at the bottom of the FTA in the graphic, the helicopters are maneuvering at approximately 500 feet above ground level. The tanker maneuvering altitude where they circle to line up and prepare for the actual drop is at 1,000 ft AGL. Five hundred above, at 1,500 ft AGL, is the altitude at which tankers enter the FTA, maintaining a left turn orbit until it is their turn to enter the tanker maneuvering altitude.

More information on fire traffic areas may be found in this power point presentation. If you look at this power point presentation, you will see that for larger fires temporary flight restrictions (TFRs) may have bigger dimensions than the FTA. In situations such as these, initial points (IP's) will be used on transition routes into and away from the fire. As I understand the tanker pilot will make radio contact at the IP which is usually an easy to identify landmark such as a lake or a bridge.

One of my air tanker pilot friends sums up fire traffic areas this way:

The FTA works great, and is one of the best innovations I have witnessed in aerial fire fighting.