Fire Squadron

Burning issues

Wildfires burned an average of 5.1 million acres a year between 1994 and 2004. The summer of 2000 was one of the most severe seasons on record (8.4 million acres burned,) because of hot, dry weather that left large swaths of the Western United States vulnerable.

Single-engine air tankers

With fewer multiengine tankers available, federal firefighting agencies will use additional smaller aircraft, such as the AT-802, a single-engine air tanker manufactured by Air Tractor. There are 95 single-engine tankers available, and federal agencies will have exclusive use of 26.

"Super Scoopers"

The Bombardier CL-215, a fixed-wing amphibious aircraft, can swoop down and skim 1,600 gallons from a lake or river, dump it on a fire and quickly return for more. This year, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Land Management will have two scoopers on contract. BIA will use the planes in Minnesota through the spring. BLM will have them in Alaska during the summer.

Pinpointing Planes

In past years, pilots on fire missions reported their location by radio every 15 minutes. This year, about half of the aircraft will carry satellite-tracking devices that record their locations automatically to a Web-based system. It gives managers a picture of which aircraft are available to move to new or worsening fires and helps rescue workers find planes if they crash.

Online pilot training

This spring, for the first time, pilots can go online to complete the classroom component of training to fly single-engine air tankers in wildfire missions. Previously, companies that operate the planes had to provide in-person training at their facilities or send pilots to the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho. Online training for helicopter pilots is scheduled to go live in March 2006.

Helitankers

The Interior Department and Forest Service will have access to 507 helicopters for wildfire management. Sikorsky "Skycranes" drop a snorkel into a river, lake or tank to draw up to 2,000 gallons of water or retardant. Because helicopters are easier to maneuver than tankers, they're especially useful on steep inclines and in canyons.

Who pays?

Fighting wildfires is an interagency effort. Four bureaus of the Interior Department and the Agriculture Department's Forest Service call the shots from the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho.

Source: National Interagency Fire Center