Aviation crews from all over the United States battle southern Montana fire

PHOTO PAUL M. ROSS JR. Operating from a mobile retardant base, single-engine airtankers made quick turnarounds dropping retardant on portions of the Derby Fire.

By Paul M. Ross, Jr.

One of this season's largest fires required major commitments from ground and air resources before firefighters gained the upper hand. Southern Montana's Derby Fire burned more than 200,000 acres in August and September, with aviation crews from across the United States assisting in suppression operations.

Local, state and federal aviation units fought the Derby Fire in remote mountain and interface rangelands south of Interstate 90, in the Livingston and Big Timber areas. Fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft crews faced high winds, heavy smoke inversions and rugged, mountainous terrain while flying long hours. Motorists driving on I-90 witnessed a burn area stretching several miles along the roadside.

Gallatin Helitack Foreman Kevin Brown directed air operations during the initial days of the Derby and described the scene to Wildland Firefighter via cell phone while out on the firelines. "We were fighting very heavy smoke conditions, restricting access for aircraft to some areas of the fire," Brown says. "Fixed wing airtankers—SEATs and heavies operating from both Big Timber and Billings [Mont.]—were effective early on as the fire moved in lighter grass and scrub fuels. As visibility decreased, we relied on the helicopters more."

Air Tractor 802 single-engine airtankers (SEATs) played an important role, as did  M-18 Dromadier SEATs. Three piston-engine Dromadiers from Montana's New Frontier Aviation operated from a mobile retardant base (MRB) at the Big Timber airport. From this location, the SEATs made quick turnarounds, dropping retardant on portions of the fire visible just a few miles to the south. P2V Neptune heavy airtankers 10, 11, 45 and 48 flew frequent missions as well, reloading from a base in Billings.

More than 10 heavy, medium and light helicopters worked the fire, including aircraft from Erickson Air-Crane, Construction Helicopters, Siller Brothers and Carson Helicopters. Erickson and Carson provided Helitankers 738 and 765; Texas' Five State Helicopters operated a Sikorsky S-58T and Idaho's River City Helicopters flew a Bell 205A1++. Helitack crews from Montana, Minnesota and Arizona worked the fire, as did single-resource aerial firefighters from Ohio, Michigan, Missouri and other eastern states.

"Hot and high conditions were a challenge, but we had fairly abundant water sources for the helicopters to fill from, which helped provide good turnaround times for water drops," Brown says. Heavy helicopters utilized a portable retardant plant near the firelines provided by Artesia, N.M.-based Pecos Valley Wildfire Company; water tenders trucked water to the site to keep the mixing operation flowing smoothly.

PHOTO BY PAUL M. ROSS JR. Texas' Five State Helicopters operated a Sikorsky S-58T on the Derby Fire. Helicopter crews took advantage of abundant water sources, which provided good turnaround time for water drops.

"The helitankers were very effective supporting our burnout operations with retardant, and they are able to vary their coverage levels to suit our needs," Brown says. "Having a good mix of bucket and tanked aircraft was important as well. When it comes to filling from water sources with less depth, the snorkel-equipped helicopters excel, but then there are the deeper holes with less clearance; buckets are the only way to get to such dip sites."

A long-awaited weather change occurred Sept. 14 as snow and rain moved into Montana's high country, ending the firefight.

Price Valley Rappellers Fight Fire Across the Country
Helicopter rappellers from Idaho's Price Valley Rappel Crew (PVRC) have seen an active, travel-filled 2006 wildfire season. Squad Leader Esther Schnur provided an update on her team's operations. Based north of McCall on the Payette National Forest (PNF), the PVRC staffs two Bell 205A1++ copters from Lewiston, Idaho's Hillcrest Aviation and Colorado-based Heliqwest International. Both ships are equipped to interagency fire rappel standards and feature extra-high skid gear, fixed tanks and snorkels.

In addition to west-central Idaho wildlands, the crew traveled to Colorado, Arizona, Texas, Nevada, Montana and California this year. Notable off-forest fires the PVRC assisted with include the large fire outside Sedona, Ariz. in June; the Sawtooth and Hart fires in San Bernardino County, Calif., during July; and September's Day Fire on California's Los Padres National Forest.

"The typical fire season for the PNF runs from the end of July until the end of September," Schnur says. "Our crew is generally out on off-forest fires and assignments by the beginning of June through the end of September." Permanent seasonals begin working in early April, wrapping up by the end of October. Temporary seasonal rappellers typically staff May 1 through the end of September.

August lightning in the high country sparked a major outbreak of fires on the PNF. The PVRC spent long hours on initial attack and provided support on large fires like the nearby South Fork Complex. Nicholas Bohnstedt, a C-faller for the PVRC, logged four operational rappels in six days during August's heavy activity.

Present crew composition includes 12 permanent employees. Dave Crumb and Matt Shaddle serve as helitack supervisors, while Denny Lewis and Rick Sorenson serve as their assistants. Four lead crewpersons and four squad leaders round out permanent staffing for the PVRC. Eight members of the team carry helicopter manager qualifications and seven are rappel spotters. Other qualifications carried include several single-resource crew bosses, Type 3 incident commanders, EMTs and a variety of other fireline qualifications. First-year PVRC rappellers must be at least a Type 5 IC or Type One firefighter and Class B tree fallers.

Officials established a formal helibase at Price Valley in the early 1970s. "Our crew became rappel qualified in 1994 with a team of 12," Schnur says. "In 2000, the base started staffing two helicopters, one being a national. In 2001, the crew began forest contracts with two helicopters (not the national). Crew numbers increased to 24."

Also that year, the base received a full renovation and now includes a 24-person barracks, a training building, a helicopter operations center, a shower house and a warehouse. Price Valley features three permanent helicopter pads and can accommodate three medium ships.

Schnur says the crew works closely with neighboring Krassel Helitack and the McCall Smokejumpers to cover the Payette's rugged backcountry. "We also assist the Boise and Nez Perce forests regularly," she says. "[We] provide assistance to the entire fire program regionally and nationally, with frequent off-
forest assignments and travels."

The PVRC is most proud of its high level of experience and fire qualifications; many of its aerial firefighters possess more than 10 years in wildland fire operations. PVRC overhead also work hard to provide and coordinate training opportunities for the forest and region. Schnur says the team has an excellent safety record supplemented by "a great physical training program, which leads to increased firefighter production."

The PVRC maintains a commitment to aerial ignition, operating two different mix systems for a heli-torch system, along with several personnel qualified in plastic sphere dispenser (PSD) or "ping-pong ball" operations. Finally, the program offers the ability to staff two high-performance Super 205 helicopters and maintains plenty of personnel with a crew complement of 24 rappellers.

Former Diamond Mountain hotshot and first-year rappeller Luke Minton has enjoyed his season with the PVRC, having moved north from the Grand Canyon National Park's fire and aviation program to take the PVRC position. Through late summer, Minton, also a helicopter manager, recorded two operational rappels. "We rounded out the season with an assignment to southern California's Day Fire," Minton says. "Operating from the Lebec and Lockwood helibases, our Bell 205A1++ from Heliqwest performed a variety of missions. I was able to fly some aerial ignition missions with Copter 525 from California's Independence Helitack and enjoyed working with the crew and their pilot, Desiree Horton."

PHOTO COURTESY PRICE VALLEY RAPPEL CREW Dave Crumb, a PVRC spotter, performs a cargo letdown.

Superior's Kmax Copters Give Max Firefighting Effort
Former wildland firefighter Andy Mills provided an update on fire operations from Oregon's Superior Helicopter. The company operates a fleet of Kaman Kmax and Aerospatiale Lama helicopters for firefighting, logging, seismic and utility work.

Superior is in the midst of a record wildland firefighting year in the western U.S. and has had all five aircraft tasked to fires steadily since early July.

PHOTO COURTESY PRICE VALLEY RAPPEL CREW Jake Howard (rappeller) and Rick Sorenson (spotter) practice a rappel

According to Mills, most of the ships have moved around a great deal, but some more than others. N267KA (nicknamed Mad Max) worked a series of fires in Nevada early in the summer, but then spent more than 45 days assigned to the 180,000-acre Tripod Fire in northern Washington. The aircraft operated with a FireMax belly tank and snorkel system. Another Superior ship, N268KA (Roxanne) worked initial attack on a series of fires in mountainous central Idaho for a good part of the summer, while N312KA (Jumpin' Jack Flash) worked several large fires in Oregon, Idaho and Montana.

N161KA, sporting the unforgettable moniker "Screaming Thunderchicken," worked fires in Oregon and Idaho, and is now supporting logging operations in Northern California. N929JV, a Lama, worked fires in northern Montana most of the summer, then engaged in a previously agreed-to seismic contract in Wyoming this fall. "It appears that Superior will fly about 2,000 hours just on fires this season, which would be a new record for us, with four Kmax aircraft plus the Lama," Mills says. "Availability and uptime for all aircraft so far has been above 97 percent."

Send your Fire Aviation News via phone or e-mail to Paul M. Ross, Jr., Wildland Firefighter magazine, at 208/861-1340 or prossjr@yahoo.com.

Paul M. Ross, Jr. is a firefighter/EMT/helitack squad leader and professional writer with 15 years of experience in both Western U.S. wildland firefighting and urban fire-rescue. He lives in St. Louis, Mo., where he is a firefighter/EMT for the Eureka Fire Protection District. Contact him at prossjr@yahoo.com or visit www.moyercreek.com for more information.