COLONIE — New York Army National Guard crews piloted a Black Hawk helicopter along the Mohawk River on Monday to practice filling the aerial water buckets to douse wildfires. The noon to 4 p.m. exercise was based at Colonie Town Park on North Schermerhorn Road. Helicopter crews skimmed the river’s surface to fill Bambi Buckets with 660 gallons of water — with a weight of nearly 2.8 tons — and then dropped the payload back into the river. Read more on this story at the Times Union ..read more

Initially announced on February 27 in a press release from Bell Helicopter, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department took the initial delivery of a new Bell 412 EPX to add to the agency’s extensive fleet of search and rescue, firefighting, and patrol aircraft. Shortly after the initial announcement, the new aircraft was delivered to San Diego-based Hangar One Avionics for full completion before arriving home to the SBSO facility located at San Bernardino International Airport late in the evening of April 9th, 2024. The new aircraft is one of two 412EPX aircraft ordered by the department ..read more

Early March saw the latest round of the Aerial Firefighting North America (AFFNA) show return to Sacramento, California, for the first time since 2019. This time, the show was held at the Safe Convention Center in downtown Sacramento. This year’s show featured many new and returning trade show exhibitors showcasing the latest in aerial firefighting technology and providing a forum for vendors and operators to learn about each other’s products and operations. This year’s sessions, like previous years, featured many well-known and respected speakers who presented on many topics related to aeria ..read more

Tangent Link announced on March 21st, 2024, after the successful completion of the Aerial Firefighting North America show, that the conference series will continue next year, with two global shows taking place in France and Australia in 2025. The French show will be held from March 25 to 27 in Bordeaux, France, in partnership with the French Department of the Interior and France’s aerial firefighting agency, Sécurité Civile. The Aerial Firefighting Europe show in 2025 will be held over three days and encompass technical workshops, conference sessions, a trade show, and various technical ..read more

The Coonoor forest range in the Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu, has been engulfed in relentless wildfires for nearly a week. Stepping up to combat this crisis, the Indian Air Force has joined forces with the state forest department, employing the Russian-built Mi-17 V5 helicopter, undertaking multiple missions employing a Bambi Bucket to douse the flames with over 4000 gallons dropped so far on the fires. The Bambi Bucket serves as a vital tool in aerial firefighting for India, which currently relies on its military personnel to assist without contractors. This method proves invaluable for the Indian A ..read more

Helitak Firefighting Equipment, an Australian-based aerial firefighting tank manufacturer, announced on March 6th, 2024, during the opening day of the Aerial Firefighting North America show in Sacramento, California the launch of the Helitak Fire Bucket. The bucket range was initiated due to customer requests and a demand for options in the marketplace. The new range will allow both existing customers and new ones, the option to use both buckets and tanks on their aircraft, manufactured to the same high standards, and give customers a single point of purchase for helicopter tanks and buckets ..read more

by Byron Yoder Maintaining the exterior appearance of aerial firefighting aircraft is crucial not only for aesthetic purposes but also for ensuring the longevity and performance of the aircraft. Wash soaps and pH are crucial in preserving the aircraft paint by effectively removing oil, grime, and contamination while preserving the paint layer and protecting the skin. In this article, we will learn the significance of washing soaps and understanding the pH balance in aircraft paint maintenance programs.   Role of Wash Soaps in Aerial Firefighting Aircraft Paint Care  Wash soaps are s ..read more

In June the aerial firefighting experts for Australia’s helicopter and uncrewed aerial peak bodies will meet for a two-day catch up in one venue, conducting their associations’ headline conferences as part of the RotorTech 2024 Helicopter and Uncrewed Exposition on Australia’s Gold Coast. They will have much to discuss. Several devastating fire seasons have prompted growth in both fleet size and the complexity and payload of helicopters available to fire authorities around the nation. From Bell 214s and 412s, the fleet has grown of late to include contracted S-64 Erickson Skycranes, Blackhaw ..read more

Story by Ryan Mason, Images by Ryan Mason and Jeff Serpa San Diego Gas & Electric Company (SDG&E) is primarily an investor-owned energy provider to the citizens of the greater San Diego area; however, SDG&E is particularly unique from many other public and private utility providers in one area: aerial firefighting capability. While several other providers in the state of California have aviation assets to assist their operations, SDG&E has gone the extra mile to provide a robust and comprehensive aerial firefighting fleet that now numbers two dedicated aircraft and two call-wh ..read more

AerialFire takes another look at trends around the world that are affecting the fire outlook in part two of our series written by Todd O’Hara; following on from our look at the Australian outlook, this time, we take a deep dive into the trends across the North America region. As we head into the winter of 2023, understanding the early indicators of wildfire potential becomes crucial. Wildfire risks often emerge well before the spring and summer seasons, making early detection and analysis key to effective preparedness and response. With El Niño’s significant climatic influence this year, we f ..read more