Fight fire with flight
David Cole | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 9 years, 4 months AGO
<p>In an office of the Coeur d’Alene Wildland Fire Center in Hayden on Thursday, Bud McConnaughey, an interagency aviation officer with the U.S. Forest Service, describes the activity on a display that monitors aviation patterns related to wildfires in North Idaho.</p>
<p>Crews monitor the operations of a Sikorsky Sky Crane shortly before take off. The aircraft, able to pump and hold some 2,000 gallons of water, was deployed to aid in fighting the Cape Horn fire in Bayview on Thursday.</p>
<p>An air tanker zooms down a runway at the Coeur d’Alene Airport shortly before takeoff on its way to drop retardant on the fire in Bayview.</p>
<p>A Sikorksy Sky Crane lifts off from a runway at the Coeur d’Alene Airport. The dangling hose is used to suck water into a tank and is capable of pumping about 2,000 gallons of water in one minute.</p>
HAYDEN - The Coeur d'Alene Airport has been a hub for firefighting activity this week.
Activity peaked Monday - following the start on Sunday of the Cape Horn Fire near Bayview - although there has been significant activity all week, said Bud McConnaughey, interagency aviation officer for the U.S. Forest Service.
Air tankers loaded with retardant started flying at 10:22 a.m. Monday.
"(On) average we had a tanker departing every 25 minutes for a fire until 9 p.m.," said McConnaughey, speaking at the Coeur d'Alene Wildland Fire Center at the airport.
Activity was really humming from 4 to 9 p.m. on Monday.
"We had three tankers departing, on average, every 25 minutes or so," McConnaughey said Friday.
Although there are multiple fires in North Idaho, a primary target for aircraft from the airport has been the Cape Horn Fire near Bayview - which authorities estimated at 1,200 acres on Friday.
Through Friday afternoon, 50,000 gallons of retardant had been dropped on the Cape Horn Fire by aircraft, along with tens of thousands of gallons of water.
"The Fire Boss (air tanker) scooper dropped 20,000 gallons of water alone," McConnaughey said Friday.
Aircraft have also been deployed to attack the Bakers Camp fire 18 miles northeast of Bonners Ferry, the Blacktail and Granite fires north of Nordman near Priest Lake, and four smaller wildland fires near the St. Joe River.
On Friday, two air tanker planes and four helicopters were among the resources dedicated to the Cape Horn Fire. Helicopters were supporting the significant ground operations, dropping water to strengthen fire lines and cool hotspots.
Additional resources have been arriving all week, as the Cape Horn fire was only 40 percent contained as of Friday.
McConnaughey said activity at the airport might not have even peaked yet, with lightning forecast for this weekend and drought conditions persisting.
A massive CH-54A Skycrane Helitanker arrived at the airport Thursday ready for battle.
It measured more than 88 feet from front to back, with a 72-foot rotor diameter.
Its two engines combine for a maximum 9,000 horsepower.
The Skycrane can fill its 2,000 gallon tank in less than a minute using a massive hose-like "snorkel" that hangs down from the craft. The snorkel only needs a water depth of 18 inches.
The Skycrane can release water in various coverage patterns or dump the entire load in 10 to 12 seconds.
"In terms of capacity, these are the upper echelon," said Mark Pilon, general manager of Aurora, Ore.-based Helicopter Transport Services, which operates the Skycrane.
"With a nearby water source no other aviation system can deliver as many gallons per hour of water or suppression elements as a Skycrane helicopter," Pilon said.
Helicopter Transport Services is contracted by the U.S. Forest Service.
Along with the Skycrane operating in North Idaho this week, the company deployed others for operations in Deer Park, Wash., Twin Falls, and Libby, Mont.
Greg Delavan, the airport's manager, said the firefighting resources operating from the airport have been changing daily this week.
"The (firefighting) mission sometimes changes from hour to hour - day to day," Delavan said. "We have to do our best to accommodate their needs."
The airport is the second busiest in the state, behind Boise.
Delavan said the airport's long runways, infrastructure and management, and its surrounding topography make it an ideal place to launch firefighting missions.
It's likely the best airport between Missoula and Moses Lake to handle the scale of emergency operations it has supported this week, he said.
"When we have an emergency event like this we can direct the (airport's) resources to the emergency," he said.
Still, the airport continues to handle its normal summer traffic, which includes a lot of corporate jets and other private planes. They share the runways with the firefighting craft.
Aerial attack is a critical part of fighting wildland fires.
Stephanie Israel, a spokeswoman for the Panhandle National Forests, said firefighters rely on planes and helicopters for transportation, equipment and supply delivery, fire retardant and water drops.
"With aviation resources in the air, firefighters on the ground have an 'eye in the sky,'" Israel said.
But aircraft can't battle the blazes alone.
"It requires a highly coordinated effort of all resources to fight fire successfully and safely," she said.