RIP Granite Mountain Hotshots June 30 2013

Obtained on June 30, 2020 from https://azstateparks.com/hotshots/the-hotshots/about-the-hotshots

The tragic loss of nineteen members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots while fighting the Yarnell Hill Fire near Prescott, Arizona on the afternoon of June 30, 2013 is seared in my memory because I got an e-mail from a family member who was visiting Prescott, they sent me a photo of a tanker dropping on the fire. It was later that day that I heard about the tragic loss of sixteen members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots. I wondered about the timing of the photo that I received. I will never know. My family member was stunned when they heard about the deaths.

So, I pause today to remember the loss of the Granite Mountain Hotshots that day. I pray for all who died that day and their families, friends, and all who loved them. I remember the lone survivor Brandon McDonough.

A brief look at the KMAX helicopter

Ever so often over the years that I have been writing this blog on aerial wildland firefighting I have come across reports and/or videos of KMAX helicopters working wildfires, mostly in the western United States. For no apparent reason I was curious about the KMAX so I did a search on Youtube and come across the two videos that I am embedding below. I learned a lot about the KMAX by watching these videos and I hope you do as well.

Direct link to video uploaded by blancolirio on Youtube 

I learned about the video below from blancolirio.

Direct link to video uploaded by Jay B.

Friday Fun (June 27th)

I don't know about you but I am in the mood for a little Friday fun. So, I went through my bookmarks and saw this video about the variety of things helicopters were used for circa 1968. Allow about 10 minutes to watch the video.

Direct link to video on Youtube

2020 wildfire season: Sand Creek Fire (near Pagosa Springs, Colorado)

On June 19,  a US National Weather Service IMET from the NWS Office in Cheyenne Wyoming was deployed to the Sand Creek Fire burning in the San Juan National Forest near Pagosa Springs, Colorado. At the time I am writing this article, the Sand Creek Fire has burned 65 acres in a very remote area that was previously burned in 2012. According the incident overview on the Sand Creek Fire's Inciweb's page:

The Sand Creek fire was started by lightning and first reported on June 15th, 2020. It is located 21 miles northwest of Pagosa Springs, in the Piedra Special Management Area. It is currently estimated at 65 acres in size and is burning within an area previously burned during the Little Sand Fire of 2012. Smokejumpers parachuted into the fire area on June 16th. After assessing the fire on the ground, the decision was made not to engage due to hazardous snags (standing dead/damaged trees), heavy fuel loads, and difficult terrain.

Retardant drops by tankers have been made on this fire, see this June 22nd news release on Inciweb  and this June 22nd report from KRQE in Albuquerque New Mexico.

There are maps, videos, and photographs available from links on the Sand Creek Fire's Inciweb's page.

I am intrigued by this seemingly small fire because of the challenges that this wildfire has posed and because of the role of tankers and other aviation assets have played. I understand that there is a risk of more lightning on June 24th in the fire area. I do not know if the IMET that was deployed on June 19th is still onsite providing incident specific weather forecasts, if so then the IMET is providing an important service. 

National Guard Blackhawk UH-60 helicopters can be activated to fight wildfires

I do not know the exact details of how National Guard aerial assets such as the UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters are activated to help fight wildfires. But I know that many State firefighting agencies have arrangements with their local National Guard, many of whom fly Blackhawks, to help fight wildfires. The videos that I found for you that I am sharing below show Utah Army National Guard UH-60 Blackhawks fighting wildfires. But it is not just out west that you will see National Guard Blackhawks. The National Guard in many States such as New York and Florida on the eastern seaboard, for example) are on call to help fight wildfires as available, and when needed and activated.

The two videos below are over five minutes each but you will get an idea of two different types of bucket operations, one dipping out of a portable tank, and the other dipping from a lake or river and then dropping on a fire (with audio).

Direct link to video on Youtube

Direct link to video on Youtube

Up close to a CAL FIRE Sikorsky S-70i Firehawk

I was perusing Youtube yesterday looking for videos of any of the Sikorsky S-70i Firehawks from either the City of San Diego, LA County, or CAL FIRE to share with you (for more information read my June 17th article). It may still be a little early to see videos of these magnificent helicopters in action, but I did find a couple of videos from Vertical Magazine taken at the HAI 2020 Heli-Expo. Both videos feature CAL FIRE pilot Brent Starr taking you on a tour of their new Sikorsky S-70i Firehawk. One is a walk around the other features her avionics. These two videos are the next best thing to seeing her in person, perhaps one day?

Direct link to video from Vertical Magazine on Youtube

Direct link to video from Vertical Magazine on Youtube

Sikorsky S-70i Firehawk

In my internet wonderings last week when I was reading about the AgustaWestland 139 Helicopter I was reminded that at least one government agency in southern California had acquired some new multi-purpose helicopters to add to their fleet of helicopters available for firefighting. As I have family and friends in San Diego County and in the Los Angeles area, and always wanting to learn more about new aviation assets, I wanted to spend some time to see what I could find out. I started with San Diego, and more specifically the City of San Diego because of family living in San Diego County. A quick internet search led me to a couple of media reports, a press release, and an article from Bill Gabbert's Fire Aviation about San Diego's new helicopter, a Sikorsky S-70i Firehawk helicopter, more on that helicopter in a moment:

ABC News10 San Diego December 12, 2020 report on new Firehawk Helicopter (with video)

San Diego News Tribune, December 12, 2020 article

Fire Aviation (November 29, 2020) on delivery of new Firehawk to the City of San Diego

In their news release announcing their new Sikorsky s-70i Firehawk, City of San Diego speaks about the capabilities of the S-70i Firehawk:

The S-70i version of the Firehawk includes wide chord rotor blades for increased payload and maneuverability, enhanced engine power, a stronger airframe than previous models, a digital cockpit with flight management system for enhanced situation awareness, and an Integrated Vehicle Health Management System to monitor the aircraft’s operational health.

The Firehawk’s military design allows it to undergo enormous physical pressure stemming from its ability to drop 1,000 gallons of water multiple times a day on a fire line. Among the improved safety features, the aircraft includes a terrain and obstacle avoidance system that alerts the air crew to the proximity of potential hazards on the ground.

I knew that CAL FIRE is in the process of acquiring new helicopter as is Los Angeles County. Thanks to Bill Gabbert's fine reporting, I found out that both of these agencies had recently acquired the S-70i Firehawk. In a November 30, 2020 Fire Aviation article, Bill Gabbert reports on LA County's acquisition of a couple of S-70i Firehawks and the anticipation of acquiring some more in the near future. Bill reported in October 2019 about CAL FIRE's plans to acquire 12 S-70i Firehawks, reporting that one had already been delivered; on May 10 2020 he reported that one LA County S-70i and a CAL FIRE S-70i were being tested in Colorado with CAL FIRE taking delivery of the second S-70i on May 22nd

My understanding from Bill's reporting, as well as this February 2020 Aerial Fire article on the S-70i Firehawk is that United Rotor added an 1,000 gallon belly tank and extended landing gear to the Sikorsky. Sikorsky is a division of Lockheed Martin, and Lockheed Martin has a nice webpage featuring the S-70i Firehawk, with a walk around, a video, and other multimedia. I had a good idea that the Sikorsky Firehawks, the older S-70 and the new S-70i are very similar to the Military's Blackhawks helicopters, but knew no specifics, thanks to this fine article by Jon Bourke in a 2018 Vertical Magazine article, "Meet the New iHawk: We fly the the Sikorsky S70i", I learned more about the development of the Sikorsky Firehawks.

I look forward to seeing and learning more about the S-70i Firehawks over the coming months. As I do, and as I find videos, I will share them on this blog.

IMET deployments (June 15th)

As the wildfire season continues to ramp up,  Incident Meteorologists (IMETs)continue to be deployed to provide onsite weather forecasts to wildfire incidents. IMETs are a national resource, and I am comforted that should the need arise, an IMET would be deployed to your State (including my home State of New Jersey) to work on a wildfire. 

IMETs save lives!

There have been a few IMET deployments since last week. As I have done the last few seasons, I will post periodically about IMET deployments. Deployments are typically for no longer than two weeks with IMETs turning over after two weeks if necessary. 

June 8, 2020: US National Weather Service Tuscon Arizona IMET deployed to Bighorn Fire in the Coronado National Forest near Oro Valley, Arizona. As I write this the Bighorn Fire has burned 13,200 acres (Bighorn Fire on Inciweb).

June 10: US National Weather Service Flagstaff Arizona IMET deployed to the Mangum Fire in the Kaibab National Forest near Fredonia, Arizona. The Mangum Fire has burned 24,708 acres (Magnum Fire on Inciweb).

June 10: US National Weather Service Alaska IMET deployed to the Isom Creek Fire burning near Stevens Village, Alaska. The Isom Creek Fire has burned 12,024 acres. (Isom Creek Fire on Inciweb).

June 11: US National Weather Service El Paso Texas IMET deployed to the Tadpole Fire in the Gila National Forest near Silver City, New Mexico. The Tadpole Fire has burned 6,600 acres (Tadpole Fire on Inciweb).

June 12: US National Weather Service Albuquerque New Mexico IMET deployed to the Bringham Fire in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests near Morenci, Arizona. The Bringham Fire has burned 14,625 acres (Bringham Fire on Inciweb).

June 15: US National Weather Service Las Vegas Nevada IMET is enroute to the Bush Fire in the Tonto National Forest near Phoenix Arizona. The Bush Fire has burned 14,371 acres. (Bush Fire on Inciweb).

AgustaWestland 139 - Los Angeles (CA) Fire Department

I have known for awhile that the Los Angeles (California) Fire Department (LAFD) got new helicopters in their multipurpose helicopter fleet. After writing about the Bell 412 helicopters on June 10th, I got interested in the AgustaWestland 139 Helicopters that replaced the older Bell 412 helicopters. Among the first places I went to in order to learn more about LAFD's AgustaWestland 139 helicopters (AW 139) is Bill Gabbert''s Fire Aviation Website where I saw his December 17, 2018 article with a link to Youtube video about the LAFD air operations program that I will link to below, and his February 19, 2020 interview with one of the LAFD pilots, Brandon Pierce, Bill recorded the interview (16 minutes and worth the time). Both articles are good reads.

Direct link to LAFD Air Ops video on Youtube 

I got interested in learning more about this very interesting helicopter with a five blade rotor and advanced avionics in the cockpit. I learned a little from the LAFD Air Ops Webpage:

Its Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6C-67C turbines, together with a state-of-the-art 5-bladed main rotor, deliver a high cruise speed even in demanding conditions at all weights. The pilots also utilize state-of-the-art night vision technology to assist ground operations and enhance safety during nighttime operations. 

 

Leading-edge technology includes a Honeywell Primus Epic fully integrated avionics system, a 4-axis digital AFCS and large flat panel colour displays in the cockpit. As a result of the new design approach the AW139 uses fewer components, benefits from integrated avionics and provides easy accessibility to all systems for simplified maintenance tasks. A 480 gallon water tank is attached to the bottom of the airship.

I wanted to know who manufactured the AW 139 and with the help of another article (June 2017) by Bill Gabbert's Fire Aviation and this article from ASD News, I learned that Leonardo (or predecessors?) manufactured the AW 139, I will leave you to go to Leonardo's site and learn about their company.

I'd like to close with two videos of the LAFD's AW 139's fighting wildfires. With a shout out to a knowledgeable friend and fire aviation photographer local to LA who confirmed that yes, you will see the AW 139 in both videos.

Direct link to video on Youtube

Direct link to video on Youtube

Bell 412 working a forest fire in Spain

I have been catching up on my reading which includes reading aerial wildland firefighting and have read about firefighting helicopters, some of which I have written about recently. One of the mid-sized helicopters that I have read about over the years, and not written about, is the Bell 412. The Bell 412 is mid-sized helicopter with four rotor blades, an off shot of the Bell 212 (two rotor blades). 

Up until 2017, the LA Fire Department had Bell 412's in their fleet. The last of these retired in 2017, replaced by the AgustaWestland 139, go here for more information. The Bell 412 served long and well with the LA Fire Department. In 2019, the Los Angeles County Fire Department still had five Bell 412's in their fleet, see Bill Gabbert's March 9, 2019 Fire Aviation article for more information, Bill interviewed Senior Pilot Tom Short. I am not personally aware of other Bell 412's in service in the United States fighting wildfires but I suspect that there may be others, either from a State, County or City agency, or perhaps on a contract.

Direct link to Youtube Video

There seem to be some Bell 412's in service outside the United States fighting wildfires. Here is a video of a Bell 412 dipping while working a wildfire in Spain last year.

Direct link to video on youtube

About a Fire Lookout in Northwestern Montana (circa 2011)

One of the things I enjoy is getting a sense of some the people involved in wildland firefighting. To that end, when I find something interesting, usually a video I will share it here. I have shared many videos from wildland fire crews summarizing their fire season, other times I have shared videos about smokejumpers, and tanker and helo pilots. This time around the video I am sharing is about a gentlemen named Leif Haugen who at the time the film was shot in 2011, has worked as a seasonal fire lookout since 2014. According to The Missoulian (April 2, 2012), the Thoma lookout, built in 1930 was restored and then reopened as a fire lookout in 2010. Leif transferred to the Thoma lookout in the 2010 summer season. Leif is a contractor when he is not a fire lookout and was involved in restoring the Thoma Fire Lookout. To the best of my knowledge, Leif is still the fire lookout at the Thoma Fire Lookout.

To read a little more about Leif, check out this Spring/Summer 2013 article from American Forests.

In 2011, Brian Bolster of Stories from Big Sky Country made a film about Leif's daily life as a solitary fire lookout. Brian is the director and cameraman, he won the Big Sky Award at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival in 2012. 

This video is a little over 15 minutes. I got a sense of Leif, and his summer work as a fire lookout. His love for the Thoma fire lookout, staffing the lookout in the summers and the mountains is clear. Brian's videography is fantastic. Enjoy. 

Direct link to The Lookout by Brian Bolster

IMETs ready to save lives: first deployment of 2020

What may have been the first NWS Incident Meteorologist (IMETs) was deployed on June 3rd. I will get to that in a minute. I love because they save lives. The are National Weather Service Meteorologists who have special training to provide incident based weather forecasts to wildland firefighters working a wildfire. They are a national resource, IMETs will go anywhere in the United States and have been deployed internationally (see for example, my January 13th post on IMET deployments to Australia).

In the video below, you will hear IMET Jeremy Wolfe discuss what IMETs do. I have shared this video a couple of times on my blog, the most recent being on August 29, 2018.

Direct link to video on Youtube

If you want more information on what IMETs do, there is a nice news release from the National Weather Service explaining what IMETs do. I have posted this at least once before on this blog, but it is worth repeating, the NWS article on IMETs may be found here. Here is an excerpt:

Incident Meteorologists (IMETs) help keep the fire crews safe by enabling responders to plan operations taking into account one of the most variable aspects of the incident — the weather. They are NWS Forecasters who have been specially trained and certified to provide weather support at a fire location.

IMETs keep firefighters safe by interpreting weather information, assessing its effect on the fire and communicating it to fire crews. Once on-site, IMETs become key members of the incident command teams and provide continuous meteorological support for the duration of the incident.

IMETs are located in numerous NWS offices across the country. Once a large wildfire has started, an IMET is contacted and given orders to travel to the site of the fire as quickly as possible. Ken Simosko, an IMET with the NWS Bismarck Weather Forecast Office (WFO), has worked five fire incidents. “You have to be ready at a moment’s notice. I have my bag ready to go so that when I get the call, I can spend my time getting spun up on the history of the fire, its current and future situation. Usually an IMET is on scene within 24 hours to 48 hours of the initial call. This depends on the mode of travel [car or plane] and how far the IMET is from the wildland fire.”

If you want to follow IMET deployments, you might want to follow the US NWS IMET Facebook page, you do not need a Facebook account to access the content. On June 3rd, an IMET from the US National Weather Service Flagstaff Arizona Weather Forecast Office was deployed to the Sawtooth Fire that is currently burning near Superior Arizona.  As I write this, according to Inciweb the Sawtooth Fire has burned 24.729 acres and is at 42 percent containment (what you see at the link will be different depending on when you access this Inciweb information on the fire as active fire information may be updated frequently. Bill Gabbert of Wildfire Today has written a couple of articles on the Sawtooth Fire, you may find them here (the link is to his tagged articles, scroll down for the first article). 

National Preparedness Levels (U.S.)

My friends at from the US National Weather Service IMET Office shared a nice video, under three minutes about the national (wildfire) preparedness level from the National Interagency Fire Center.

 

Here is a direct link to the post from the NWS IMET page. In the years that I have been writing this blog on aerial wildland firefighting, I have run into the National Preparedness Levels many times, especially when the level is four or five. Please take three minutes to watch the video. 

The current national preparedness level from the National Interagency Fire Center may be found here.

For those of you who would like complete information, here is a description of each of the five national preparedness levels from the National Interagency Fire Center:

National Preparedness Levels

The National Multi-Agency Coordination Group (NMAC) establishes Preparedness Levels throughout the calendar year to help assure that firefighting resources are ready to respond to new incidents. Preparedness Levels are dictated by fuel and weather conditions, fire activity, and resource availability.

The five Preparedness Levels range from 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest level. Each Preparedness Level has specific management directions. As the Preparedness Levels rise, more federal and state employees become available for fire mobilization if needed.

Preparedness Level 1

Geographic Areas accomplish incident management objectives utilizing local resources with little or no national support.

- Conditions are not favorable to support significant wildland fire activity in most geographic areas.

- Resource capability is adequate with little or no mobilization of resources occurring through the National Interagency Coordination Center.

- Potential for emerging significant wildland fires is expected to remain minimal.

Preparedness Level 2

Active Geographic Areas (GA's) are unable to independently accomplish incident management objectives. Resource capability remains stable enough nationally to sustain incident operations and meet objectives in active GA's.

- Significant wildland fire activity is increasing in a few geographic areas.

- Resources within most geographic areas are adequate to manage the current situation, with light to moderate mobilization of resources occurring through the National Interagency Coordination Center.

- Potential for emerging significant wildland fires is normal to below normal for the time of year.

Preparedness Level 3

Mobilization of resources nationally is required to sustain incident management operations in the active Geographic Areas (GA's). National priorities established as a necessary measure to address the heavy and persistent demand for shared resources among active GA's.

- Significant wildland fire activity is occurring in multiple geographic areas, with Incident Management Teams (IMTs) actively engaged.

- Mobilization of resources through the National Interagency Coordination Center is moderate to heavy.

- Potential for emerging significant wildland fires is normal for the time of year.

Preparedness Level 4

Shared resources are heavily committed. National mobilization trends affect all Geographic Areas (GA's) and regularly occur over larger and larger distances. National priorities govern resources of all types. Heavy demand on inactive/low activity GA's with low levels of activity for available resources.

- Significant wildland fire activity is occurring in multiple geographic areas; significant commitment of Incident Management Teams.

- NICC increasingly engages GACCs in an effort to coordinate and fill orders for available resources.

- Potential for significant incidents emerging in multiple GA’s indicates that resource demands will continue or increase.

Preparedness Level 5

National mobilization is heavily committed and measures need to be taken to support GA's. Active GA's must take emergency measures to sustain incident operations.

- Full commitment of national resources is ongoing.

- Resource orders filled at NICC by specifically coordinating requests with GACCs as resources become available.

- Potential for emerging significant wildland fires is high and expected to remain high in multiple geographic areas. National Preparedness Levels

Obtained on June 3, 2020 from https://www.nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireinfo_prepLevels.html

 

Space X Dragon launch and docking with International Space Station.

What can I say, I am a child of the 60s who grew up with manned flights in earth orbit and then to the moon. Enjoy these two videos. The video of the launch, from CNN, is a little over 11 minutes, the video of the docking with the space station is about two minutes. For more on this mission see this webpage from NASA.

direct link to video

direct link to video