Reflections: not enough firefighting air tankers and helicopters

If you have not been following Bill Gabbert’s articles on Fire Aviation about the decrease in the number of air tankers on an exclusive use (EU) contract with the USFS in 2018, I hope you take a few moments to read Bill's February16th article, "Air tankers to be cut by one-third in 2018", if not now the after you finish this article. Bill writes that there were 20 air tankers on an exclusive use contract with the USFS in 2017. In 2018 there will only be 13 heavy air tankers on exclusive use contracts with the United States Forest Service (USFS). There will be air tankers on call when needed (CWN) contracts with the USFS but at a higher cost.

And the decrease in aerial resources on exclusive use contracts does not stop with large air tankers. Bill reports that the number of type 1 helicopters on exclusive use contracts will be lower, I do not know if there will be any type 1 helicopters on CWN contracts. Exclusive use contracts for the two super scoopers are not being renewed, and the USFS program to convert USCG C-130s to aerial firefighting configuration may be discontinued.

I don’t know about you, but I find this quite alarming. Yes, as Bill reports, there will be air tankers on call when needed contracts with the USFS, but at an increased cost. I do not think that my concerns are original. But I want to express my concerns as a show of support to those in the business of flying wildfires under federal contracts.

Following up on Bill Gabbert’s comments on the higher costs and other concerns about the CWN contracts along with the reduction in available EU contracted aircraft, it is just a matter of time during this 2018 wildfire season when all EU contracted aircraft will be assigned to fires, so the call will go out for additional aircraft to work wildfires. So, the USFS asks those contractors on CWN contracts if they have available aircraft. As Bill points out in his February 21st article, the cost of aircraft under a CWN contract is higher than under an EU contract. It stands to reason that the contractors may try obtain other contracts for their CWN aircraft. Or perhaps, sadly, they haven’t other contracts, deciding that it costs too much to keep a CWN aircraft and crew ready to fly fires so the aircraft sits without a contract. What happens then?

Not only does the CWN contractor have to have available aircraft, they also have to have available crew and maintenance personal. What happens if that crew can not afford to sit around with no pay waiting for the call to fly? Perhaps they get other flying jobs in the meantime. What happens then?

Wildfire activity can occur any time of year. Perhaps a State has State-contracted aircraft to augment their State-owned aircraft during a spring, summer, or fall wildfire season (aka designated wildfire season). They may also have arrangements to use State-based National Guard aerial resources during times of high fire activity.  Sometimes these wildfires, even those that occur after the designated wildfire season, can be bought under control without needing put out a call for federal aviation resources. For example, in New Jersey, where I live, in recent years wildfires occurring outside of the designated wildfire season have been brought under control without the need to request USFS tankers or type 1 helicopters. It is just a matter of time before there will be a very large wildfire in New Jersey or elsewhere in the Northeast that “require” federal tankers and type 1 helicopters. The State could put out the call for such aircraft, it is likely that none will be available. What happens then?

Speaking of “State-owned” and State-contracted aircraft, what happens in States where for some reason there is a shortage of such aircraft used in firefighting. What happens then?

There are not enough heavy tankers and type 1 helicopters on EU contracts. As I write this, the status of the SEAT contracts are unknown. No scoopers, and perhaps the USFS program to convert CoastGuard C-130s to firefighting configuration will be discontinued. There are not enough aerial resources to fight wildfires. With the possibility of worsening droughts in parts  of the country, I am afraid of what I’ll happen. More wildfires and not enough aircraft?


Further reading, you will want to read the February 21st article and comment, Shrinking the Fleet on the Associated Aerial Firefighters website to read about the reduction in the number of air tankers on USFS exclusive use contracts.