2019 wildfire season: salmon helirappellers

While I have been considering other types of aerial wildland firefighting operations, it seems only appropriate that I share this short highlight video from the Salmon Helirappellers, based in Salmon Idaho. Helirappellers are specially trained to rappel from helicopters to remote locations to fight wildfires, they are an initial attack resource.

The Salmon Helirappellers have a nice photo gallery page with photos and additional videos (including a nice video on helirappelling training) that you may be interested in. According to their who we are page they have two type II helicopters used to deliver helirappelling firefighters and one type III helicopter.


Direct link to Youtube video from Salmon Helirappellers

Salmon Heli-Rappellers proficiency training

Heli-rappelling is an important aspect of wildland firefightings as specially trained wildland firefighters rappel down from helicopters to often remote areas to work a wildland fire. Enjoy this video showing the Salmon Heli-Rappellers proficiency training shot using a helmet camera. From 2014.


Direct link to video

Heli-Rappelling

It has been awhile since I shared some videos with you showing the important work done by heli-rappel crews in fighting wildfires. Once on the ground they work as a crew as other wildland firefighters do. They do this to keep you safe. What is interesting to me is that they arrive where they by helicopter and then rappel down to where they will be working. Heli-rappellers do not only work on wildfires.

Here are two videos about heli-reppelling, the first is about three minutes and focuses on training, the second is over seventeen minutes and you will hear from heli-reppellers about what they do on wildfires and on other incidents.


Direct link to video #1


Direct link to video #2

Footage of rappel operations from inside a helo

Here is eighteen minutes of footage (with audio) of rappel operations over a wildfire near Lake Wenatchee, WA in July 2016. I liked this footage because it afforded me an opportunity to see and hear heli-rappel operations from inside a helicopter. At least four wildland firefighters rappel down to the fire from the helo.


Direct link to video

A look at the role of heli-rappellers

Enjoy this video from the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), released in January 2017 as a part or their Wildland Safety Training Annual Refresher (WFSTAR). I enjoyed learning a little more about what is involved in heli-rappelling and how rappellers help out other wildland firefighters, especially in the remote mountainous regions of the western United States.


Direct link to video from NIFC

Malheur Heli-Rappel

Continuing with videos of helitack and heli-rappel crews crews. Here is a nice video from feener productions of Life on the Malheur Rappel Crew uploaded in September 2013. The video is about eight minutes long, there is no audio. I looked the footage so I am sharing it here. Enjoy. Thanks Malheur Rappel Crew for all you do and stay safe!


Direct link to video

More on Heli-rappelling

I shared a video of the Salmon heli-rappell crew on May 11th, continuing with the work of helirappell crews, here are three more videos.

Rookie helirappell Training

Direct link to video

Helirappell Training

Direct link to video

Salmon Helirapplers Helmet Cam (2014)

Direct link to video

Upclose with Salmon Heli-rappelling crew - 2015 season

Direct link to video

Malheur (Heli-) Rappel Crew

It has been awhile since I wrote about or shared videos about heli-rappeling. According to the National Wildfire Coordinating Group's Glossary of Wildland Fire Terminology (scroll down to "rappelling"), (heli-)rappelling is the

Technique of landing specifically trained and certified firefighters from hovering helicopters; involves sliding down ropes with the aid of friction-producing devices.  

In the video that I embed below from Feener Productions, you will see the Malheur Rappel Crew in action.


direct link to video

Wildland Firefighters: Deployment via Heli-rappelling

Specially trained wildland firefighters are deployed to wildfires in remote and difficult to access areas via rappelling from a hovering helicopter.

Demonstration

direct link to video

Edited on May 16, 2016: removed link to youtube video that is no longer available

Rapid Attack/Rappel attack aka rapattack

I have a good friend from Canada, a former tanker pilot, who sends me all sorts of wonderful stuff. A few days ago he sent me a link to the July/August 2012 edition of Canadian Skies Magazine. When I went to their website today, the digital edition of the July/August 2012 edition was freely available. One of the articles that my friend pointed me to was on pages 51-2. The article in question is called "Controlled Decsent, it is about British Columbia's help rappel program called rapattack. Since I am not certain how long the link to the July/August 2012 digital edition will be freely available, I am going to summarize some pertinent information about British Columbia's Rapattack program. Edited on May 16, 2016 to note that the digital edition of the July/August 2012 edition of Canadian Skies Magazine is no longer available.

The rapattack program is short for rapid attack and rappel attack. Started in 1977, it was the first program in Canada where wildland firefighters are inserted in remote and inaccessible areas by rappelling down 300 foot ropes from helicopters. In 2012, the helicopter fleet includes one Bell 412SP, one Bell 212HO, and one Bell 212. The helos have a 370 belly tank.

Initial attack rapattack crews work in teams of three. In addition to the pilot, a helicopter operations tech is on the helicopter when the rapattack crew is deployed to a fire. Two 175-pound canvas bags are filled with fire fighting tools including chain saws, pulaskies, shovels, axes, a hose, and a 300-gallon collapsible water tank. And of course, fuel and oil for the equipment. The crew travels with sleeping gear and food for a 24 to 48 hour period.

The two videos that I embedded here show a rapattack helicopter taking off (love the sound of the engines) and a demonstration of rappelling. The two videos that I had previously embedded here are no longer available (May 16, 2016). 

helitack and rappellers redux

My last post on smokejumpers will post tomorrow. In the meantime, I ran across two articles today that I want to pass on to you.

The first an article reporting the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of Black Hills Interagency Helitack (South Dakota).

The second article, on rappelling may be found here. The author discusses the history and some details on training and the like. Check it out!

heli-rappelling

Direct link to video

Some helitack crews do what is known as heli-rappelling. Heli-rappelling, according to the Interagency Helicopter Rappel Guide (IHRG) is

the deployment of personnel from a hovering helicopter by means of an approved rope, descent device and supplementary equipment. Rappelling is comprised of a smooth, controlled expeditious descent to the ground.

Among other things, the IHRG, discusses required qualifications and training, equipment, rappel operations, and cargo letdown operations. There is also a section with definitions. I spent a little time this morning skimming this document to get an idea of federal helicopter rappel operations.

May 16, 2016. The video that I originally embedded here is no longer available on youtube, so I have replaced it with a video of the Salmon River Helirapplers 2009 season