Moving resources to where they are most needed

The “Wildfire Matters” podcast is produced by the Bureau of Land Management out of Boise, Idaho. Here is an episode from a couple of years back but, as reminded by the National Interagency Fire Center, it has retained its relevance in light of the current discussions on aircraft use in the southern California fires.

In this podcast, Sean Peterson, Assistant Center Manager of the National Interagency Coordination Center, or NICC, talks about his career in wildland fire management from firefighter to his current position at the National Interagency Fire Center. He discusses day to day NICC operations – explaining the dispatch system and the role of the air space coordination unit, predicative services, and the intelligence section. Sean talks about working with the National Multi-Agency Coordinating Group, or NMAC, on setting national wildfire resources priorities, preparedness levels, and the importance of working with interagency, state, international, and military partners to support not only wildfires nationally but also assisting FEMA during all-hazard/all-risk incidents.

Listen to the podcast here.

Cal Fire resources on the fire line

Here are the current resources on the Cal Fire: drawing from the largest fire aviation fleet in the world plus support from eight other states, Canada and Mexico.

California statewide fire summary, 13 January 2025. Cal Fire
California statewide fire summary, 13 January 2025. Cal Fire

Cal Fire has been active in promoting what its aircraft can and cannot do in extreme wildfires.

And here is the CAL FIRE Aviation Recognition Guide This provides a comprehensive overview of the resources in wildfire aviation. https://www.paperturn-view.com/cal-fire…/aviation-guide…

High winds prove a challenge for aircraft on LA fires

The fires today around Los Angeles have escalated quickly into a major situation that is likely to develop overnight as the high winds increase.

The aerial firefighting effort at Pacific Palisades is being hampered by the strong winds that are being felt across southern California.

While air attack was happening early in the day, the increasing wind speeds have pushed crews beyond their limits, as reported in the Los Angeles Times just now:

Palisades fire 7 Jan 2025, LA Times

Palisades fire 7 Jan 2025, LA Times

The National Weather Service has been clear and consistent about the risk, today and in the lead-up to this event:

Australian fleet poised and ready, while waiting for late arrivals

The Australian aerial firefighting fleet has been upgraded as an anticipated long, hot summer begins across the south, with most states expanding access to more aerial options in their local fleets.

Late season fires in the northern hemisphere have delayed the arrival of some the fleet. In Victoria, the announcement of the summer firefighting fleet of 54 aircraft was tempered by the statement that “2 Aircranes will also join the fleet once their service period ends in North America. Three additional aircraft will be on short-term contracts until the Aircranes arrive.”

Erickson Air-Cranes in Greece
Erickson Air-Cranes on northern hemisphere service, October 2021 in Greece. Photo by Dimitris Klagos.

The National Aerial Firefighting Centre (NAFC) has contracted 177 aircraft on behalf of Australian state and territory governments for the 2024-25 season. This fleet is supplemented by NAFC aircraft contracted as “call when needed”, and additional state owned and state contracted aircraft hired to meet peak demand across the country. In total more than 500 aircraft, provided by over 150 operators, are available as a shared resource for firefighting across Australia for season 2024-2025.

Amid regular calls at the political level for a national sovereign fleet that is less dependent on the variable end to the northern hemisphere fire season, NAFC figures show that 95 percent of the Australian firefighting fleet is already resident year-round in Australia, including 75 percent owned and operated by Australian companies.

The remaining 5 percent are predominantly the larger aircraft, both fixed wing and rotary, that follow the fire seasons around the globe. NAFC contracts these under partnerships between Australian and foreign companies. The aircraft fly on complementary contracts in the northern hemisphere and then are, ideally, packed up and returned in time for the Australian summer.

But that start of Australian summer has its own variable timing that contributes to the annual problem of overlapping seasons across the hemispheres: along the heavily populated east coast of the continent, bushfire season can begin as early as August into September, while New South Wales regularly has a highly active October and November. Further south, Victoria fires appear around December, with Tasmania seeing most activity from January onwards.

With the Australian fire season now well into its southward trajectory from the tropical north – currently in its Wet Season after an active Dry Season of bushfires – to a southern Australia with a year of below average rainfall, fire authorities are relying on their aerial resources for essential support to ground crews. The large grassland regions abutting the forests are particularly vulnerable this year, with several large outbreaks currently being dealt with in Victoria.

The Australian Government has funded NAFC with around $A100 million ($USD 63M) for this season and the next. Two Blackhawks and a Sikorsky S-61N have recently joined the fleet.

At the end of September 2024, the contracted national fleet comprises of:

  • 6 Large fixed wing air tankers
  • 16 Large rotary wing aircraft (Type 1)
  • 68 Medium and small rotary wing aircraft (Type 2 and 3)
  • 54 Fixed wing firebombers
  • 18 Light fixed wing

Coulson Aviation Australia has secured a long-term contract with Australia’s largest state-based fleet. The New South Wales Rural Fire Service announced in July this year that Coulson would manage the NSW fleet for the next 10 years, after managing it for the previous five.

The NSW RFS fleet of 11 aircraft includes a 737 large air tanker (the Marie Bashir, which has seen service in North America including a three-month stint in 2023), two Cessna Citations, six Bell-412 helicopters, a Chinook helicopter, and a Beechcraft Super King Air. Under the new contract, these aircraft will be overseen by primarily Australian crews, in a shift to bolster the local workforce and makes NSW more self-sufficient.

NSW RFS 737 fire tanker at NIFC.
The New South Wales Rural Fire Service 737 at the National Interagency Fire Centre in Boise, Idaho in 2023.

The fleet also supports other emergency services, such as the NSW State Emergency Service for rescues during floods, when they are not being used for firefighting duties.

Even the smaller states are increasing their capacities from the NAFC pool. Tasmania has received 15 dedicated aircraft from the NAFC fleet, to be managed locally by the Tasmania Fire Service. South Australia has retained its record high level of 31 aircraft from last year into this year, managed by the Country Fire Service, including five Blackhawk helicopters. Western Australia, immense in size but small in population, has found an extra $A10 million for its fleet, which includes four Blackhawks and a C130 Hercules.

Increasingly frequent and severe wildfires causing a firefighting aircraft boom

Extreme wildfire events are becoming more frequent and intense, satellite imagery has shown.

Six of the past seven years have been among the most extreme wildfire years on record, according to research from Australia’s University of Tasmania. The frequency of extreme wildfire events has also more than doubled between 2003 and 2023.

The research “provides concrete evidence of a worrying trend,” according to lead researcher Dr. Calum Cunningham.

A worrying trend for the world’s living beings is seemingly an economic opportunity for the global firefighting aircraft market, a new report from the Business Research Company said.

File photo of an Air Tractor 802 Fire Boss operated by Conair. Not necessarily the aircraft involved in the incident.
File photo of an Air Tractor 802 Fire Boss operated by Conair.

The market has “grown strongly” in recent years, with an increase from $8.77 billion in 2023 to $9.57 billion in 2024. The market is expected to grow to $13.42 by 2028 at a compound annual growth rate of 8.8%.

“The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to climate change impact on wildfires, development of next-generation fire retardants, increased focus on early detection, global expansion of wildland-urban interfaces, and government preparedness investments,” the report said. “Major trends in the forecast period include enhanced remote sensing technologies, integration of drone technology, advancements in aerial firefighting technologies, the growing importance of aerial firefighting services, and global collaboration for aerial firefighting resources.”

One of the major market trends identified in the report was the rise of autonomous aerial firefighting technology, including the autonomous MK2 developed by California-based company Rain. The autonomous helicopter is reportedly designed to transport around 30 gallons of payload to a fire and can perform all standard helicopter flight phases controlled by a remote operator.

A similar helicopter from Lockheed Martin was recently demonstrated to an audience of NASA, FEMA, and wildland firefighting officials. The company claimed the aircraft could be commanded solely on a tablet from 300 miles away and extinguish fires as small as 12 inches in diameter.

READ MORE: Self-driving aircraft may soon head to a wildfire near you

Credit: Lockheed Martin

Another market driver the report found is rising global urbanization. The World Bank reported around 56% of the world’s total population lives in urban areas as of 2023, and the global urban population is expected to reach 6 billion by 2045. This, coupled with the forecast surge in the number of wildfires, is expected to drive the growth of the firefighting aircraft market.

The region with the largest share of the firefighting aircraft market was reportedly Asia-Pacific, but North America is expected to be the fastest-growing region over the coming years.

Self-driving aircraft may soon head to a wildfire near you

An audience of NASA, FEMA, and wildland firefighting officials recently witnessed the wildfire suppression capabilities of a reportedly “autonomous” Black Hawk helicopter.

Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, partnered with autonomous aerial wildfire containment developer Rain to demonstrate the takeoff, wildfire identification, and water-drop accuracy capabilities of the helicopter.

Lockheed Martin originally announced the helicopter’s development in October, claiming the aircraft could be commanded solely on a tablet from 300 miles away.

“The MATRIX system is unique because it’s not a simple flight director following a planned route. Instead, the system acts fully independently, reacting to the dynamic combat environment to avoid threats, optimize routing, and execute emergency procedures if necessary,” the company said in an Oct. 17 release.

Credit: Lockheed Martin
The recent 30-minute flight demonstration allowed officials to use the command tablet to take off, find the fire, and drop water from a Bambi Bucket 60 feet beneath the aircraft, the company said. The water drops reportedly extinguished 12-inch diameter propane-fueled fire rings to demonstrate the precision of the aircraft’s targeting capability.
“This technology that we used to think of as being on the horizon is here now, no longer just a figment of our imagination,” said Genevieve Biggs, director of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation’s Wildfire Resilience Initiative and Special Projects program.
Lockheed Martin isn’t the only organization developing the once-on-the-horizon tech.
Sustainable Aviation Foundation President Brien Seeley recently published a paper on the feasibility and technical details of autonomous aerial fire-fighting (AAF) systems, including eTankers, building small AAF airparks, and autonomous payload carts for loading.
Milrem Robotics partnered with foam extinguishing technology specialist InnoVfoam to develop a line of Multiscope Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) for firefighter use, including hose use, post-fire extinguishing, and critical supply transport.
The Los Angeles City Fire Department has used a human-controlled water hose tank robot called Robotics Systems 3 (RS3) during fires in buildings with collapsing rooms since at least 2021, the department told Scientific American.
Credit: Los Angeles City Fire Department

Some scientists, however, are skeptical of just how useful autonomous technology would be to the wildland firefighting force at large. Neil Sahota, an inventor who advises the United Nations on artificial intelligence issues, told Scientific American doubts communities would be willing to pay more than six figures for robots designed for very specific needs, especially for those that still struggle with mobility.

“The economies of scale aren’t quite the same as [for] mass manufacturing,” he said. “We don’t have enough firefighters as it is … With climate change, we’re already at the breaking point.”

Coulson’s Quick Reaction Force

Recent firefighting efforts on the Vista Fire in southern California relied on a relative newcomer to the wildfire suppression toolbox, the Quick Reaction Force, or QRF.
Operated by Coulson Aviation, the QRF is a trio of Chinook CH-47 helicopters converted into state-of-the-art helitankers. They are strategically located in southern California and available for rapid response to the brushfires that occur throughout the region.

 

The force is supported by a fourth helicopter, a Sikorsky S-76, equipped with a suite of thermal and HD cameras as well as mapping software for accurate detection and reporting of a fire’s perimeter and hotspots.

Coulson CH-47
Coulson CH-47
Easily recognizable by their sheer size and dual main rotors, each helitanker is capable of carrying 3000 gallons of water or retardant. For comparison, the Sikorsky S70 Firehawks carry 1000 gallons. The QRF is also configured for night operations, and flight crews maintain additional qualifications and currencies for operating with night vision goggles.

Fire helicopter down in Northwest Territories

The CBC reported that a fire pilot with no passengers went down Friday in a Bell B212 near Fort Good Hope, Northwest Territories. Fire information officer Mike Westwick said the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Transportation Board of Canada (TSB) are responding to the incident.

The Canadian Press reported Tuesday evening that Great Slave Helicopters (GSH) said pilot Tom Frith died while fighting 20,000-acre fire near the Fort Good Hope  community, about 800 km northwest of Yellowknife.

The company expressed condolences to Frith’s family. “He was a beacon of light,” GSH said. “He was beloved by all who had the privilege of knowing him. Our heartfelt condolences to Tom’s wife, children, parents, brothers and all extended family and friends in Yellowknife and in Australia.”

Fort Good Hope fire

The TSB said it will activate a an investigative team; Great Slave Helicopters (GSH), and CKLB Radio reported that there were no passengers besides Frith, the pilot in the helicopter. Fort Good Hope Chief Collin Pierrot related it was a very difficult weekend for the community.

Tom Frith, a pilot who was assigned to a fire in the N.W.T., died Friday when his helicopter crashed at the Fort Good Hope airport. Great Slave Helicopters photo
Tom Frith, a pilot who was assigned to a fire in the N.W.T., died Friday when his helicopter crashed at the Fort Good Hope airport. Great Slave Helicopters photo

It was about 2 p.m. Friday when the RCMP received  its first report of the accident, and before the end of the day the TSB was involved in the B212  investigation.

Pierrot said he got the news of a the helicopter crash while he was in a fire management meeting. The incident happened at the Fort Good Hope airport and involved only the Bell B212. The TSB investigators accessed the crash site on Sunday and are now collecting data and interviews.

Fort Good Hope has been under an evacuation order since June 15 as a fire burns at the edge of town.