Friday Fun: Washington Army National Guard Working Wildfires in Washington

Direct link to August 5th video from VBS Defense on YouTube

I enjoyed watching this short video of the 96th Aviation Troop Command,Washington Army National Guard flying to help the wildland firefighters on the ground battle the wildfires in eastern Washington

About Training for Aircraft Fighting Wildfires

Thanks to Coulson Aviation whom I follow on Facebook and YouTube for sharing an educational video on YouTube about training for aircraft used to fight wildfires. Yes the video is a little long at just under 25 minutes but well worth watching.

Direct link to June 21st video from Coulson Aviation on YouTube 

Aircraft Maintenace is Important

Direct link to May 24th post on Facebook by Coulson Aviation

Maintenance of aircraft -- firefighting aircraft, commercial aircraft and general aviation aircraft -- is very important to be sure that aircraft are safe to fly. Operators of aircraft including Coulson follow a maintenance schedule for their aircraft, some maintenance is more routine and other maintenance involves inspecting the whole aircraft. Aircraft parts may be replaced as needed in order to keep the aircraft safe to fly. I applaud the Aviation Maintenance Technicians who maintain aircraft for Coulson and other aircraft operators.

Fighting Wildfires in the Rockies: Operation Sky Hammer

Direct link to April 30th video from the Forest Service on YouTube

Enjoy this video about the Operation Sky Hammer program in Colorado where two Skycrane helitankers that can carry up to 2,400 gallons of retardant are used to help the wildland firefighters on the ground fight wildfires. 

Aerial Firefighting: Getting Ready to Fly Fires in Fire Season

As various airtanker and helicopters companies under contract with State or Federal firefighting agencies two important things must happen, The first is that aircraft undergoes maintenance to be sure that each aircraft in the companies fleet meets various safety and  maintenance requirements. All features in the aircraft are looked at including but not limited to engines, pilot controls. the airframe, etc. See this January 30th Facebook post from Dauntless for more information and pictures about their winter maintenance program.

In addition to maintenance, annual winter/spring training of pilots and crews happens, including training for new pilots and refresher training for pilots who have previously flown fires for the company. The specifics of new and refresher training is usually mandated by the agency who contracts for the aircraft, covering the specifics of flying fires, aircraft safety and the like. See this short February 19th video from Aeroflite Aerial Firefighting on Facebook for a short glimpse into this training.

Aerial Firefighting: Helicopter Capabilities and Limitations

I have never been in a helicopter. Perhaps one day I will have the opportunity to ride in one. Nonetheless, I am interested in what goes into flying a helicopter, both for wildland firefighting and other purposes. I suspect that flying a helicopter for wildland firefighting poses a different set of challenges because they are not landing and taking off from airports or heliports. While the video I am sharing on "Helicopter Capabilities and Limitations" from the National Wildfire Coordinating Group is a part of a training course on helicopter operations in wildfires I learned a lot about what goes into flying a helicopter for wildfire operations. I am sharing this eleven-minute video because I learned a lot and I hope that some of you enjoy this video.

Direct link to January 2026 video from the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) on YouTube

Coulson Aviation: Aerial firefighting from start to finish

On  Monday morning on the day we celebrate Martin Luther Kings birthday is the morning after a weekend of two moderate snowfalls here in New Jersey and adjoining states. I suspect but am not quite certain that the snowfall may put a damper on any existing wildfires and perhaps may deter any wildfires from starting? 

I pause on this holiday to share a Facebook video from Coulson Aviation on aerial firefighting from start to finish.

Direct link to video from Coulson Aviation on Facebook

Firefighting Aerial Operations in Florida

Direct link to December 2025 video from Vertical Magazine

For reasons I won't get into here, I have had a special interest in the Florida environment, in particular the Everglades, for over twenty-five years. During a trip to Florida about 12 years ago, I spent a couple of days in and near the Everglades. I can not adequately describe how special it was when I got to visit the Everglades  that I had loved for so long and continue to love. 

Every so often I like to take the opportunity to focus a blog post on wildfires in Florida. In this case it is how State of Florida aerial resources are used to aid wildfire detection, prescribed burning and to assist the wildland firefighters on the ground fight wildfires. In the video that I am sharing the focus is on the Eagle Single helicopter. Their fixed-wing aircraft are the eyes on the sky for the helicopters and the crews on the ground. There are other areas in Florida besides the Everglades where wildfires have burned.

Added on January 23rd, I apologize for the duplicate post of this video. I just realized that I had already shared this video in early December.

Friday Fun: Neptune and AeroFlite Working 2023 Kiel Fire

Direct link to September 2023 video from BlueRocketPR on YouTube

For Friday Fun I am sharing this September 2023 video of tankers from Neptune Aviation and Aero Flite Aerial Firefighting working the Kiel Fire in Wichita Falls Texas. Enjoy!

About Aerial Firefighting in Florida Including a look at the "Eagle Single" Helicopter

Direct link to December 4th Video from Vertical Magazine on YouTube

As you may know, Florida is special to me so I am always on the lookout for how Florida fights wildfires. I struck gold yesterday thanks my friends at the NJ B10 NJ Wildland Fire Page for sharing this video about Florida's aerial firefighting strategy on their website yesterday. As soon as I watched this video I knew that I wanted to share it with you. I knew that Florida does a lot of prescribed burning but did not know that the did more than 48 states combined. I saw how they use helos to help the wildland firefighters on the ground fight wildfires as well as their use of airplanes to oversee aerial operations. Finally I learned about the "Eagle Single" helicopter, new addition to their fleet.

Drone Safety Near Fire Zones

Direct link to August 2025 video from the National Interagency Fire Center 

There are lot of good and safe uses for drones, and the FAA has regulations for flying drones including when drone owners must register their drones, for more information see this FAA website on unmanned aircraft systems (aka drones). In addition the Forest Service under the USDA has a nice webpage on the safe recreational use of drones that may be found here,  one of their bullet points focuses on operations near wildfires: "Never fly your UAS over or in close proximity to any fire operation (wildfire or prescribed).  UAS flights over fire operations disrupt aerial firefighting operations and create hazardous situations." I have nothing against drones, I have seen good drone footage and am aware that agencies and the media and individuals safely operate drones and follow FAA regulations in their drone operationms

The FAA has a pdf file that they call "Drones & Wildfires Digital Toolkit", they talk about flight restrictions that are often in place over wildfires, penalties for illegally flying drones near wildfires and how to report illegal drone activity near a wildfire. They also refer to how first responders can get approval to fly drones near a wildfire. They include a paragraph on why it is dangerous to fly drones near wildfires:

The US Forest Service states: 

Firefighting aircraft fly at very low altitudes, typically just a couple of hundred feet above the ground, the same altitude as drones flown by members of the public and others. This creates the potential for a mid-air collision or pilot distraction that could result in a serious or fatal accident. In addition, an unauthorized UAS that loses its communication link could fall from the sky, causing serious injuries or deaths of firefighters or members of the public on the ground. Unauthorized UAS flights could lead fire managers to suspend aerial wildfire suppression operations – such as airtankers dropping fire retardant and helicopters dropping water – until the UAS has left the airspace and they are confident it won’t return.

Please fly your drone safely and legally and please stay away from the airspace over wildfires.

Airtanker Operations: Coulson's Air Attack

Direct link to August 2023 video from Brit Coulson of Coulson Aviation on YouTube

One of the important elements of how airtankers of various sizes and helicopters work in the air to help firefighters on the ground to fight wildfires are the aircraft known as air attack. Air attack aircraft coordinate the aerial operations above the fire. Lead planes will lead the tanker or helicopter into the fire to make their drop. Watch to this eight minute video from Brit Coulson of Coulson Aviation where the various aspects that make up air attack are discussed. 

San Diego County CA Approved Purchase of Firehawk Helicopter for Nighttime Firefighting

 

Direct link to October 21st video from CBS 8 San Diego on YouTube

I want to thank my friends from the B10 NJ Wildland Fire Page for sharing this video on their webpage this morning.

I do try to follow aerial fire operations in other States including California but I may not  post about changes in a States aerial fire fleet right away. I am making an exception to this by sharing this video saying that San Diego County has approved $38 million for a Firehawk helicopter with the ability to fly fires at night. I have some close friends in San Diego County who know how to stay safe from wildfires, and I am always interested in available aerial resources to keep my friends safe from wildfires. This Firehawk, a type 1 firefighting helicopter, will have a 1,000 gallon tank, the ability to carry 12 firefighters and will be ready to fly in the spring of 2026.  This will mean that the County does not have to request a Calfire Firehawk from an adjoining county. In addition to dropping water and transporting firefighters to wildfires this helicopter will be used for rescues. Another source of information is this article from the San Diego County News Center.

The San Diego County Fire Protection District  has a lot of good information relevant to fire safety. Unfortunately, I can  not find an online listing of any current county owned or contracted resources. I do know that Calfire’s aviation resources  are available to San Diego County .

US Forest Service: temporary assignment of helicopter to New Hampshire

Direct link to September 29th video from WMUR TV on YouTube

Obtained from Google Earth on October 1st.

Obtained on October 3rd from https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/

I noted this September 19th report in the Concord Monitor that after weeks of drought in New Hampshire that the National Weather Service designated the State of New Hampshire as being in high risk of wildfires. As someone who used to vacation in northern New England, I am familiar with the White Mountains having done some day hikes on Mt. Washington in my younger days. I am also interested in when the U.S. Forest Service assigns helicopters or air tankers to the eastern United States. So when I noted that the U.S. Forest Service has temporarily assigned a fire fighting helicopter to New Hampshire I knew that I had to write this post. The helicopter will be based at Lebanon Municipal Airport until drought conditions improve and there is no longer a high risk of wildfires.

NJ Forest Fire Service Aerial Operations

Direct link to April 2023 video from  Eyewitness News ABC7 NY on YouTube

I thank my friends at the B10 NJ Wildland Fire Page who shared this April 2023 video on their webpage this morning. In this short video you will learn about how the NJ Forest Fire Service use airtankers and helicopters with buckets to support the firefighters on the ground. This video was shot during the spring 2023 wildfire season when airtankers were specifically on contract in NJ to fly wildfires. During other times of the year there is an airtanker and helicopters with buckets that are available if they are called upon. And I believe that the same applies to helicopters with buckets

2025 Canadian Wildfires: More on Newfoundland & Labrador Wildfires

 

Direct link to August 19th video from CBC on YouTube

I continue to monitor the wildfires in Newfoundland and am now including Labrador. I just went to the Wildfire Dashboard on the Newfoundland and Labrador Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture Website to check out the information (including a map)accessed on August 20th at 10 AM. Note that I am unable to access the Wildfire Dashboard on Chrome on my Mac, but the link works in Firefox and Safari.

By far the largest of the three out of control wildfires burning in Newfoundland and Labrador is the Kingston Fire in eastern Newfoundland, first reported on August 3rd, that has burned 10,708 hectares or 26,440 acres. and is still out of control. This is over double the hectares burned (5,236) that I wrote about in my August 11th post. According the CBC August 19th report that includes excerpts from a press conference by John Hogan, the Newfoundland  & Labrador Premier the fire has burned 107 square kilometers due to better and more accurate fire mapping. For reference, 107 square kilometers is 10,700 hectares. He reports that an estimated 203 structures have been lost and some of these structures are not residences but may be sheds, a school and the like. Finally he reported that water bombers and five heavy helicopters worked the fire on August 19th.

Other wildfires burning in Newfoundland & Labrador as of August 19th are two other fires that are out of control:

• Martin Lake Fire also in eastern Newfoundland that I last reported on August 5, has burned 1,770 hectares or 4,374 acres, an increase of over 1,100 hectares burned that I wrote about on August 11th.
• Udjuktok Bay Fire in Labrador, first reported on August 8th, has burned 571 hectares or 1,411 acres.

The Holyrood Fire in eastern Newfoundland, first reported on August 4th is under control at 22 hectares or 54 acres.

Finally the Paddy's Pond Fire, first reported on August 11th is being held at 318 hectares or 786 acres.

Definitions from the Wildfire Dashboard:

• Out of Control: A wildfire not responding or only responding on a limited basis to suppression action such that the perimeter spread is not being contained.
• Being Held: With currently committed resources, sufficient action has been taken to prevent fire spread beyond existing or predetermined boundaries on a percentage of the fire based on prevailing and forecasted conditions
• Under Control: A wildfire having received sufficient suppression action to ensure no further spread of the fire.

All of Canada is having a severe wildfires season. For the latest information on wildfires in all of Canada go to this interactive map from Canada's Natural Resources, click on overlay and you can select various overlay options including but not limited to active wildfires. For example, there is a 3,210 hectare out of control fire burning in Nova Scotia and several out of control fires in New Brunswick.

Coulson Aviation C130H Tanker Walk Around: Redardant Tank System

 

Direct link to July 12 video from Coulson Aviation on YouTube

Enjoy this nine minute video of Coulson Aviation RADS Modification Supervisor providing a walk around of the RADS retardant tank system on a Coulson C-130H airtanker (tanker 132)  RADS stands for Retardant Aerial Delivery Systems. I enjoyed this video because I love airtankers and appreciate getting a close-up view of the RADS system that I otherwise would not experience because I live across the country from Coulson's Thermal CA base.

Airbus H125 Helicopter - Flagler County Florida

Direct link to video from Just Helicopters on YouTube 

Flagler County, Florida courtesy of Google Maps

I was reading the July/August 2025 issue of Aerial Fire - The Aerial Firefighting Magazine earlier this week, the cover story focuses on Flagler County Florida’s new helicopter, the Airbus H125 

For 22 years Flagler County Florida had an AS350B3 multi-mission helicopter. This helicopter was recently replaced with an Airbus H125. The H125 keeps the FireFlight name. According to Aerial Fire

The Airbus AS350 Écureuil series, alongside its modern successor, the H125, has become a cornerstone of aerial firefighting efforts across North America. As climate volatility intensifies, the frequency and severity of wildfires, particularly across the western United States and parts of Canada, are increasing. Consequently, the demand for highly versatile, reliable, and high-performance rotorcraft has never been greater. Among the platforms meeting this demand, the H125 has emerged as an undisputed leader, recognized globally for its exceptional capabilities in demanding mission profiles.

While FireFlight is used for aerial firefighting and prescribed burns, there are other uses for FireFlight. This includes but is not necessarily limited to search and rescue, taking accident victims to trauma centers, public safety flights, storm reconnaissance, and law enforcement.

Among the features of the H125 according to the Aerial Fire article:

• precision water and foam drops with a 210 gallon bucket
• in flight foam injection into the bucket
• crash resistant fuel systems improves pilot and crew survival
• FM radios to facilitate communication with ground crews
• alert sirens for discharge safety
• modern avionics
• interchangeable equipment for multi-mission uses.

After reading the article,  I was very impressed with Flagler County’s new H125 FireFlight helicopter. They are one of only two Florida Counties with their own helicopter, the other county being Miami-Dade. I don’t quite know how long the link to this article will be accessible, happens sometimes. If possible, I hope that you take the time to read this wonderful article. I commend Flagler County and the pilots, crews, and maintenance team for using FireFlight to keep their residents and business owners safe.

Friday Fun: Alaska Aviation Operations

Direct link to video from AlaskaDNRDOF on YouTube

You will hear Andy Jones, Alaska's statewide aviation manager discuss air tankers, air attack and helicopters used to help groundcrews fighting wildfires. Enjoy

Lead Plane Training in Australia

Direct link to video from Coulson Aviation on YouTube

Lead Planes are an important part of many aerial firefighting operations, including but not limited to large airtankers. While the specifics of how different countries and forest fire services use lead planes and the like differ to guide airtankers and helicopters into wildfire areas for drops, training is important. In this short video from Coulson Aviation you will see lead plane training in Australia working with Tanker 131 in New South Wales, Australia. Thanks again to my friends from the B10 NJ Wildland Fire Page for sharing this video on their website yesterday.