Wildfire Suppression; S.E.E. (Safety, Effectiveness, Efficiency) Opportunities and Challenges.
One pilot’s perspective, recognizing that our ultimate purpose is support of the boots and dozers on the fireline:
S.E.E. is the over-riding guideline.
If it’s not safe, regroup and re-evaluate.
If it’s safe, but not effective, what’s the point?
If it’s safe and effective, do it as efficiently as practicable.
We desperately need to define the right questions, and then conduct vigorous evaluations to determine what works best, what is most suitable, what gives the biggest bang for the buck. We need to find and aggressively promote ways to reduce costs and increase effectiveness, leading to sustainable expenses and budgets while still providing the public with the protection they demand and deserve, plus a sense of security.
We need to avoid the distractions of politics and the media to the extent possible, while recognizing that dealing with them is an unavoidable part of our job.
We need refined and focused communication and sharing of information through networking, web portals, and seminars such as this.
Some tools that are available, but perhaps currently underutilized or inappropriately utilized:
Safety:
Studies addressing recognition and mitigation of aircrew and support personnel physiological and mental stressors.
Conflict avoidance: TCAS and TCAD, FTA and TFR procedures.
Angle of Attack cockpit displays.
CVR/FDR and FRS (Appareo) equipment with user-friendly download capability.
FOQA programs.
NDI techniques and applications, including downlink.
Crew smoke hoods and O2, both portable and ship’s own.
Restricted visibility systems (EVS/SVS/NVG/HUD).
FlyRight obstruction charts
Training:
NAFA, NAFA II (FireSim), Tangent Link presentations and web portals.
Bombardier Safety Stand-down conferences.
Computer based and online options including:
PC---X-plane aircraft replications.
Fire procedure and IFR training and proficiency.
CD/DVD courses (Mountain Flying, applied
aerodynamics, etc)
OEM and 3rd party FTD (Flight Training Devices) (Bombardier/Mechtronics, FireBoss), CBT (Computer Based Training) (idc for BAe146, CPAT for DC10), simulator flight training, Human Factor courses (ConvergentPerformance.com) and Advanced Aircraft Performance and Maneuvering courses (AAMP) programs (www.apstraining.com).
Effectiveness:
Flight Reconstruction Systems (Appareo) for training, monitoring/FOQA, accident analysis.
Improved suppression/retardants, along with refined application techniques, and IR mapping for analysis.
Upgraded constant flow gravity and pressurized drop systems.
Efficiency:
User-friendly (programmable) radios, more frequencies, less clutter, less noise.
AFF (Automated Flight Following) (inflight diverts).
ACARS, SELCAL (inflight diverts, dissemination of NOTAMS that affect our operations).
Upgraded dispatcher capabilities and qualifications.
TWO-way Communication:
Web portals and message boards/discussion groups, publications and other documentation (Safeco/CF119), with adequate and appropriate dissemination.
Real-time fire briefs/debriefs, seminars, web-casts, web message boards.
From my personal (somewhat cloudy) crystal ball-------
Due to public, media, and political pressure, the introduction of restricted visibility (night, smoke, and IFR) wildfire flight operations will accelerate. Aero-Flite already uses FLIR in their CL215s; L.A. County will continue development of applications and tactics of night operations within its fleet. This trend will be driven by the requirement to justify acquisition, then fully utilize, multi-million-dollar platforms to replace and upgrade our current aging fleet, and to develop the capability to respond with aggressive aerial Initial Attack 24/7/365 to minimize increasingly costly and devastating firestorms, safety and effectiveness permitting. Success will depend on thinking intelligently and appropriately outside the box, which will in turn require comprehensive training, and application of exhaustively tested operational parameters and tactics, including improved dispatching.
Reliance on day-VFR SEATs, rotor-wing, S2Ts, and LATs will continue to dominate in many areas, but long-range/high-speed/high-tech/high-volume Super Choppers, Next-Gen LATs, and VLATs will make inroads, along with faster recon, lead, and ATGS aircraft with greater capabilities and longer loiter times. If you want to be flying tankers 20 years from now, you might want to start building rotor-wing (tilt-wing?) or scooper experience, and/or glass-cockpit/EVS/HUD turbine time.
There will obviously be a growing role for UAVs in firefighting.
Effective utilization of sophisticated Next-Generation aerial firefighting platforms will demand upgraded training, some of it out-sourced (FIRESIM, FSI/SimCom, APS upset training), plus on-line/CBT courses such as www.convergentperformance.com addressing self-monitored human factors, and www.APStraining.com evaluating upset recovery and max performance techniques. Interfacing with advanced maintenance and inspection technologies such as NDI, acousto-ultrasonics, and fiber-optic sensors, and improved dispatching/communication techniques and hardware, may help aging pilots fend off the effects of Alzheimer’s.
Employment as an aerial firefighting crewmember will evolve into an ever-more-demanding career, requiring qualifications and on-going professional education well beyond the current level, plus year-round availability, currency, and proficiency. Computer literacy will be a given, multi-lingual abilities a big plus. Selection of new crewmembers will address their ability to deal with the AAB-operator-agency interface (i.e., diplomacy and politics), a willingness to relocate and/or reeducate to meet "the needs of the service", plus the requisite low-altitude high-proficiency stick-and-rudder skills and experience that are increasingly hard to find off-the-shelf. It will be acknowledged that it is quicker, less expensive, more effective, and more efficient to train an experienced aerial firefighter in a new aircraft type than to teach aerial firefighting to someone simply experienced in type.
Recruiting and retaining highly qualified professionals will require sufficient time off at home to sustain a (relatively) normal family life, plus competitive compensation and benefits, including a comfortable retirement plan.
Large multi-national firefighting companies may emerge; mergers and partnerships seem likely. World-wide networking and response capability will be a big plus in contract negotiations.
Wildfire agencies will require revitalized leadership to effectively deal with legislative funding and oversight, and to establish realistic and viable goals to meet new environmental challenges such as global warming and the encroaching urban/wild-land interface. Government agencies must become partners in progress instead of roadblocks to innovation. The USA will see increasing pressure to create a separate cabinet-level authority to combat wildfires, apart from forest management. Military/civilian and international mutual support will expand.
Some pilots, operators, and agencies may resist change and fight to maintain the status quo; consider assisting the transition, embrace the opportunities, but don’t throw out the baby with the bath water. What we have works, up to a point, but there are new tools available now, and more on the horizon, that will help us do an even better job of protecting lives and property.
Along with vision, support, and leadership, upgrading will require vastly increased funding in an era of severe budgetary restrictions. Above all, we urgently need a powerful champion(s) to sell our needs and opportunities to agencies, legislators, and the public as a win-win proposition.
Time is of the essence.
Walt Darran