DC-10 SUPERTANKER CONTRACT AWARDED!

After a hard fight and many setbacks, the DC-10 Supertanker finally received a seasonal contract from CalFire. And not just for a year, but for three! Apparently public pressure due to a media blitz and letter-writing campaign initiated by Wildfire Research Network (WRN), along with a high-profile brushfire in Griffith Park, convinced Governor Schwarzenegger to award the contract through emergency funds. This massive aircraft will now be available within an hour of being called to fight fires in a wide radius that covers all of Southern California. For fires to the north, it will take a bit longer to get there, but can be reached at jet speeds. With a payload of 12,000 gallons, this will provide a tremendous boost to firefighters on the ground. Fire managers who have commented on the DC-10's performance in fires during 2006 were very favorably impressed with its effectiveness. On the Esperanza Fire, it was credited with providing 60% of the containment of that blaze with only a handful of drops, something that would have taken smaller air-tankers dozens of drops to complete.

But the DC-10 brings more to the table than just a large payload. Experiments done in the 1970's point to the possibility of performing drops at 10,000 feet with polyacrylate gels to actually modify weather, cooling temperatures and raising the humidity over a fire for a short period of time, causing the fire to "lay down". The fire chiefs of both LA County and LA City questioned Tony Morris and Bob Cavage of WRN last fall to see if this could be done by the DC-10. If so, then smaller air-tankers could follow the DC-10 in and make drops with gel on hot spots during the fire's reduced activity, allowing them to effectively tear the heart out of a blaze and turning the ground effort into one of mopping up, something that takes considerably less resources. The cost savings of such a technique could be substantial, and would also increase resources available for other emergencies. Welcome to a new era in aerial firefighting!

Let me know what you think at marcher47@firebomberpublications.com

USFS Testing Gels Now?

Rumor has it that the US Forest Service is conducting tests with firefighting gels at Pocatello, Idaho. Among those they are trying out is Phos-Chek's ‘Aqua Gel-K’ product, both to see how they like it and also what limitations it may have. This product was independently tested by CalFire (California Department of Forestry) for about 18 months and has been approved for use with their aircraft. Many city fire departments are reluctant to use gels until the forestry folks approve them (concerns about damage to retardant tanks and other factors are key issues).

‘Aqua Gel-K’ can be dropped into the heart of a wildfire (unlike water or foam, which would evaporate before reaching the fuel), used to attack the head directly instead of laying retardant on the flanks only, and can aid in wrapping up a fire much sooner than would otherwise be possible. It could also be applied to homes and structures to protect them from oncoming fires. By applying the gel and then saturating it with water, a home could be left unattended by fire crews and remain virtually fireproof for many hours at a time. This would also cut down on firefighter injuries and deaths (such as happened at the Esperanza Fire in 2006), because fire crews wouldn’t have to worry about defending homes if a fire threatened to overrun their position, but could evacuate safely knowing that the structures in the area were protected.

One can only hope that, if USFS is experimenting with gels, newer fire retardant testing is also on the docket of future projects. For instance, Phos-Chek’s G75 retardant products could also be used to fireproof brush areas that can’t be easily cleared out. KABC-TV’s Eyewitness News showed a segment about the fire danger along LA freeways earlier this week. The homeowners and LAFD wanted the brush cleared out, but CalTrans was reluctant to do so for aesthetic reasons and due to toxins in the soil that would be stirred up while the brush was cleared. G75-W would be ideal in this instance, as it is transparent, protects even living plants without harming them, and turns to fertilizer when the plants get wet. Or G75-F could be used if workers wanted to have some visibility of just what had been treated, as it goes on red at application, then turns transparent a while later. Using either of these products would protect the homes (and brush), maintain the aesthetics of the scenery, and protect CalTrans workers from the toxins in the soil. A win-win-win solution!

Have a question or a comment? Contact me at marcher47@firebomberpublications.com

747 SUPERTANKER HEADS INTO THE SUNSET

Shocking news came out of Evergreen Aviation today: A stop work order has been issued for their multi-million dollar 747 firefighting aircraft and the Supertanker organization within Evergreen is being dismantled. An internal memo (not for publication) stated that "I regret to advise you that the Evergreen Supertanker program and Evergreen Supertanker Services Inc. have been given a "Stop Work" order from the Evergreen Corporate Headquarters... As of close of business, Tuesday, 21 March 2007, the Evergreen Supertanker office in Marana, AZ. will be closed for business." Bob McAndrew, former president of the Supertanker organization, was stunned by the turn of events and the entire affair casts doubt on the future of the DC-10 Supertanker, the main competitor to the 747.

After probing a little deeper, it appears that leadership in the US Forest Service (USFS) and the FAA were not receptive to having an aircraft that would be used for both fighting fires and also hauling cargo (in the off-season). This was one of the key features of the Evergreen program because it allowed them to earn a profit between fire seasons (reportedly around $180,000 a day as a cargo transport). This seems strange because in years past, that was how other air-tanker companies made money – fighting fires during the fire season and hauling cargo during the rest of the year. Since many of the aircraft types employed by private contractors lent themselves well to this “double-duty” (principally because they were originally transport aircraft, bombers, and other aircraft with large holds), it made the business feasible, if not lucrative. The question that arises is: When did the FAA (and USFS, for that matter) turn a baleful eye towards this practice?

Another point of interest surrounds both houses of Congress sending members in to grill the USFS about some matters of operation. What exactly are they looking for? Does the hasty cancellation of the 747 program have anything to do with this investigation? And how will the DC-10 come out in light of this startling turn of events? The situation becomes curiouser and curiouser! Comments? Contact me at marcher47@firebomberpublications.com.

FEDS PASSING THE BUCK

It seems that the US Forest Service has decided to pass the buck on fire suppression costs. An Associated Press article today about plans to reduce the amount the feds will pay on future wildfires was disquieting to say the least (Federal audit says let forest fires burn). Wildfires in Southern California can get pricey, especially when they invade the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI). Considering that the feds had to pay over $1.5 billion in fire suppression costs this year, they've evidently decided that they need to stop paying everybody else's bills as well.

Whether people will consider this to be fiscally responsible or not, it looks like the financial burden of fighting fires in California could very soon fall on California. This brings up the question of how best to fight fires before they get out of control. I submit that the DC-10 Supertanker is a good place to start. Fire managers on the Day Fire indicated that, had Tanker 910 been used within the first three days after ignition, the fire could have been snuffed. As it was, the feds forbade using the aircraft on federal land (most of the affected area was national forest), and it was only at the moment the fire began threatening the town of Ojai that the DC-10 made retardant drops, which, by the way, stopped the fire's progress towards the town. The Day Fire cost over $74 million to suppress. How much of that cost could have been avoided had Tanker 910 been used in the initial attack?

And in the case of the Esperanza Fire, the cost was much higher - not so much in dollars as in lives. There are five firefighter families which have been impacted by the loss of a family member due to that fire. Never mind the financial cost to whoever ends up paying for the fire, the human cost was way too high. Had the DC-10 been used immediately to fireproof the line where those firefighters were working, the outcome of that fire could have been much different. When it finally got on the fire, it was able to increase containment from 6% to 65% in just a few drops. So why fire officials are still debating the effectiveness of this aircraft is a mystery to me, especially in light of the feds plans for ducking financial responsibility on suppressing fires in the future. Let me know what you think at marcher47@firebomberpublications.com.

LAST PLANE STANDING

In the news today, Bob McAndrew, president of Evergreen Aviation, has directed that the 747 Supertanker be converted back into a freight hauler. Given the capricious policy of the US Forest Service that allowed them to cancel a hard-won seasonal firefighting contract with Evergreen when the NIFC's National Preparedness Level dropped below a "4", I can hardly blame them. One USFS aviation head I talked to some weeks back was actually lauding USFS for being “fiscally responsible” when drawing up the contract in such a way that it was guaranteed to self-destruct just as the California wildfire season really took off. Due to the fact that the NIFC indexes the severity and numbers of fires around the country when computing the National Preparedness Level, it was a given that the 747 contract would lapse at the end of the summer, when most of the country was getting cooler temps and precipitation. It was not a clause intended to be popular with Evergreen when the contract was drawn up, obviously. Evergreen’s response has been to gut the 747 and convert it back into a cargo carrier. Considering the fact that they can make $180,000 a day hauling cargo, it’s the only fiscally sound thing to do. This mammoth air-tanker can be converted back to firefighter duty in about three days time, according to sources at Evergreen, but they have no contract and will have to wait until next May to pursue this course again. If there are any wildfires between now and then? Well, we'll have to do without the 747 Supertanker's services.

Now that the 747 is out of the running, the DC-10 is the last plane standing if there's a wildfire. But will it get a contract from CDF or will this project also have to be abandoned? After all, the DC-10 could also be used to haul cargo, and despite what some nay-sayers have said about it being past its prime, there are DC-10s still flying that have DOUBLE the number of hours in service. As one commentary stated, B-52s have been flying since the 1950s and you never hear about them crashing. It’s not a question of age, therefore, but simply one of maintenance, the lack of which doomed a couple of heavy air-tankers back in 2002. Insofar as pursuing a USFS contract for the DC-10, between their overreaction to the 2002 tanker crashes which resulted in the grounding of ALL heavy air-tankers and the lack of trustworthiness they displayed in crafting the 747 contract, they have shown themselves to be risk adverse in the extreme. Perhaps it’s time to cancel the contracts of some of the USFS leadership and bring in some more forward-thinking replacements. Now THAT might break the impasse and drag the federal aerial firefighting force into the 21st century. For more info, visit Firebomber Publications or drop me a line at marcher47@firebomberpublications.com.

DC-10 SUPERTANKER EFFECTIVENESS ON ESPERANZA FIRE

In a report by California Department of Forestry (CDF) Aviation Chief Mike Padilla the DC-10 Supertanker was given high marks for its work on roping in the Esperanza Fire. Mike stated that the supertanker had increased containment from 6% to 65% with a series of six drops. Considering the fact that fire suppression of the Esperanza Fire has exceeded $8 million, it seems that a $5 million seasonal contract for the plane would be well worth it. Had it been used at first light on 10/26 when the fire was just getting going, it might have been able to corral the blaze before it really spread. We'll never know now. But at least CDF is crediting the aircraft with contributing a major assist to controlling this monster fire. I will be making a report about this on public access cable Wednesday night, Ch 99 on Adelphia at 7 PM. My hope is to raise public awareness so that the CDF is pressured to award the much-needed contract before the DC-10 is grounded for good due to lack of funds. For more info, visit my website at Firebomber Publications or drop me a line at marcher47@firebomberpublications.com.

WELL IT'S ABOUT TIME!

The DC-10 Supertanker is FINALLY fighting the Esperanza Fire. With many newspapers and wire services broadcasting stories and photos of the DC-10 performing retardant drops, firefighters are finally getting some visible support from this superb firefighting aircraft. The question now is "How long will it last?" On the Day Fire a few weeks ago, it was pulled off fairly quickly. Like the Day Fire, the Esperanza Fire is on National Forest land. Will the feds yank it off again as they did with the Day Fire, or will they finally overcome their fears of an imminent crash and leave it to do what it does better than any other currently-available firefighting aircraft? Only time will tell. The tragedy to all this is that the Esperanza Fire started around 1 AM on Thursday 10/26 and that five San Bernardino National Forest firefighters were caught in a burnover at 8 AM. The sun was up far enough by that time of the morning that this aircraft would have been allowed to fly (forestry aircraft are not allowed to fly until 30 minutes after sunrise). Had it been available, it could have stopped the fire dead in its tracks along the point of the line where the firefighters were located. Since it wasn't, these brave men were overwhelmed before they could even get their fire shelters deployed. Ask their families if this is an important asset to firefighters and I think I know what their answer will be. But the DC-10 is still working without a contract and the owners have stated flatly that if they don't have an annual contract for $5 million soon, they fold up shop and that's the end of the DC-10. This is unacceptable. For more info on this story, visit my website at Firebomber Publications. Let me know what you think at marcher47@firebomberpublications.com.