Although Type 3 helicopters are smaller, they have a higher cruise speed than a typical Type 2 helicopter and can arrive on the scene of an initial attack wildfire faster. Maybe they could have figured out a better transition, maybe not. i digress. (Y/N) The "All Other" annual billable rate will be used to obtain reimbursement for services provided to organizations outside the Federal government. Forest Service makes major changes in helicopter contracts We operate Type III helicopters and are now faced with 40lbs+ of equipment (costing over $60k per aircraft) to meet minimum requirements things that we really dont need like a Traffic Avoidance System (but the ADS-B they required last year isnt good enough) and a loudspeaker (because yelling at the fire helps?). See what happens when the arrogant customer has no place shop! For several years now, the AirCrane are clearly competing with the massive arrival of CH-47D obtained by some companies on top of the US forces. Bill do you have access to USFS decision makers? ALSE Handbook/Guide Ver 2.8 November 25, 2017 2 . Sucks that theyre limiting their choices on the RFP. & Booklets), FS For an operator to be competitive in the LPTA world, you need to amortize the cost of the a/c over 10 years or more. United States Department of Agriculture-Forest Service Guide . Ordering instructions contained within each contract or agreement should be followed. A lot of the operators that will get pushed out because of this RFP do a lot of irrefutably safe work when fire season peaks, or when resource work is needed, with excellently maintained legacy platforms at great value to the taxpayers. =Wd{,,}[bx`3j2Fyyn y } List of air tankers on USFS contracts - Fire Aviation Chattanooga Air Tanker Base Agreement. We operate Type III helicopters and are now faced with 40lbs+ of equipment (costing over $60k per aircraft) to meet minimum requirements - things that we really don't need like a Traffic Avoidance System (but the ADS-B they required last year isn't good enough) and a loudspeaker (because yelling at the fire helps? Its driving us away from government work and Im truly worried about the availability of rotor assets next year if they end up going through with this wish list RFP. But only when they decide, of course! Us, Northern Rockies Coordination Given the current climate of helicopter contracts there will be more people getting out of helicopters than getting into them. These CWN have a number of day to end of termination clause. They can transport up to nine firefighters at one time. The U.S. Forest Service (FS) is expecting to contract for 48 Type 1 helicopters for the 2021 wildfire season. If as you suggest they can choose to not submit a proposal then two things are going to happen: 1) that aircraft will not be part of the AFF fleet next year and 2) you will have less a/c in the future b/c of it. Vendors do not drive the requirements the customer does. It seems nothing is making sense anymore, and we are destined to fail if this shortsightedness is allowed to continue. The Aviation Branch supports the acquisition of Airtankers, Helicopters, Light Fixed Wing Aircraft, Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS) maintenance, Large Jet Transport and related aviation support including aircraft maintenance, consulting, aircraft purchase, contract pilots and aircraft equipment. The biggest issue overall is that this contract is a prerequisite for our other federal and state work such as state fire and wildlife survey, etc. Helicopters are used for firefighter and cargo transport, water or retardant application, fire reconnaissance, aerial ignition operations, search and rescue, law enforcement missions, short-haul, sling loads, and seeding. If it aint broke, dont try to fix it. United States Department of the Interior (DOI) Office of Aviation Services (OAS) and the . In the parlance of the agency, the bulk of the USFS firefighters are "1039s," referring to the number of work hours they are capped at in a given season. Aircraft Engineering Services Then why are one year contracts with optional years considered a sustainable way for helicopter companies to provide helicopters for fire fighting? Local Small Business Specialist Most exclusive use helicopters have a daily rate and a flight rate, but no guaranteed hours. Wont the guaranteed hours for a contract be a exclusive use. And now this year before we head into fall contracting with the MATOC still looming they have changed how they pay us. Let the operators upgrade when if/it will work. For operators, the Grail is a contract with the US Forest Service. These changes are going to put operators who have worked hard for generations, who have tirelessly jumped through USFS hoops for years out of businessthat is a crappy government thanks, with costly and unnecessary changes as the final slap in the face! Aviation Safety Management System, IAT Once we get all of that figured out, turns out that the increase in performance specifications at 7,000 / 30C combined with the added equipment pretty much eliminates legacy ships from meeting performance requirements. FS is gonna end up with a heavy National Guard helicopter fleet next year. Firewatch Cobra (Bell 209-AH-1) Aerial Supervision Helicopter The single vs twin vs safety argument doesnt have a clear winner unless youre talking about CAT A capable aircraft. fleet is composed of primarily contractor-owned and operated aircraft but the Forest Service does own numerous helicopters and fixed wing aircraft. Provides support to both the Aviation and Logistics Branch Chiefs xb``b``Vg```+g@L@,&@ In other locations they would just shrug their shoulders and walk away. For point-to-point flights, AFF flight following may be used as well. Large Airtankers (LATs) can deliver from 2,000 to 4,000 gallons of fire retardant to support firefighters on the ground. These are not the usual 4 years contracts that should be announced soon. The Incident Support Branch (ISB) at the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) is located in Boise, Idaho. The reason your seeing all the blackhawk bucket ships is because you can buy a milsurp bird for less than 2$ million and be flying on a fire for less than 5. 0000003543 00000 n Great to see that ole S-58T N1168U workhorse from Aris is still getting after it! The National Interagency Fire Center is committed to making its information and communication technologies accessible to individuals with disabilities by meeting or exceeding the requirements of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended. National Type 1 and 2 CWN Contract: Official websites use .gov The FS would gladly issue multi-year contracts (vs. base year + options). Guess what those choppers wont have cockpit cameras or loudspeakers or TAS. Smaller helicopters carry water in buckets that hold between 100-400 gallons of water. PDF Office of The Under Secretary of Defense Buying a/c is a lot like buying a house. Why arent fixed wing on CWN awarded a offered daily minimum? A 212 is a twin, performs better than a 412 is all aspects but is a little older and only has two blades. Scurit civile: the Dragons in the early hours of Rostec signed dealership agreements on supplying VRT500 Mi-38: successful test in extreme conditions, Wiking Helikopter Service adds an H145 to its fleet. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service (FS) Its logical that the USFS move to a more modern helicopter fleet. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. startxref Thank you. Bill wrote 3 sentences without even putting his opinion in, the overwhelming response is that the only people happy or satisfied with this RFP are the people who wrote it. %PDF-1.4 % Most aircraft manufacturers provide a document illustrating the operating costs for each of their models but it's hard to tell how accurate their estimates are (they are trying to sell you a helicopter after all). If a vendor doesnt like the requirements, they can choose not to submit a proposal. I am concerned that it will reduce resources in a way that will harm the communitys we generally get to help. Columbia has been focusing a lot of their efforts to Afghanistan and other overseas over the last decade. If you like warm beer, buy a FS refrigerator. Smokejumper STC We all understand that. These helicopters are the largest that are used for fighting wildfires and can carry between 700 and 3,000 gallons of water or fire retardant. Oh, and dont glance over the cockpit camera, which they want even on restricted category bucket ships. The Forest Service was looking for 10 helicopters in each tier, if available, with Mandatory Availability Periods commencing on either June 1stor June 15th. Organizations needing assistance are numerous. Category 3 includes helicopters capable of lifting more than 700 gallons of water or retardant. I can see daily availability rates sky rocketing, which it sounds like is expected. What do you do with an expensive asset like a helo when youre only customer suggests to just not submit? 9-Mar-2021 Source: Fire Aviation. Personnel and Equipment: 219 total personnel; 2 helicopters, 14 Type-6 engines, 13 Type-2 tractor plow units, 1 drone, . Certainly valid concerns regarding the quantity of helicopters to transition and timeline. hb```, cb YL 10 21 CWN aircraft, both fixed and rotor wing, cost more than exclusive use ships. National Maintenance Agreement, Robert Hoffman,Contracting Officer AMD-23E Instructions for USFS National Type 1 & 2 Call When Needed (CWN) Contract Helicopters hired for DOI Incidents. *Sensor payloads are variable but typically include daylight (electro-optical), infrared (IR), thermal, or mapping cameras. Helicopters | National Interagency Fire Center Faintly, what are the advertisement you see posted on this site? NWCG operations standards are interagency by design; they are developed with the intent of universal adoption by the member agencies. Id guess many of them follow your websites, but if not and you have access to them, it would be good to alert them to the commentary here on this pageif anyone else feels strongly negative about this, chime in!! 545 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/ID[<699CE8B7B060C148BAB896A267C961CC>]/Index[527 27]/Info 526 0 R/Length 94/Prev 249949/Root 528 0 R/Size 554/Type/XRef/W[1 3 1]>>stream - R1 Overdue/Missing Aircraft Protocol, DOI Nor is it actually clear to me that is what is happening. There are only 2 options and they are well in to the 10s of millions of dollars. These are also similar systems found in the lower section of the DC-10 Tanker 10, and there are also constant flow bunkers found on board many tankers such as the C-130, P -3 Orion and other RJ-85AT. Flight Rate Hourly Daily Availability # OF UNITS TOTAL COST Exclusive Use Helicopters Type 1 HEL1 $ 4,290 $ 13,950 Type 2 HEL2 $ 1,760 $ 5,030 Type 3 HEL3 $ 1,050 $ 2,325 Call When Needed Helicopters Type 1 HEL1 $ 4,200 $ 26,600 Type 2 HEL2 $ 1,960 $ 7,150 . Office: (208) 387-5670 Mobile: (208) 616-5547 The States contracted for Fed approved airtankers so just like we all share resources like engines and shot crews now we can share airtankers too. On May 9 the agency released a list of 14 helicopters for the >1,600 tier. Faintly, what are the advertisement you see posted on this site? The table below shows NWCG minimum performance requirements for structure and, wildland engine resource types. Home | About One has to write to the audience who butters their bread! Single Engine Airtankers (SEATs), Helicopters, Fixed Wing. Office: (208) 387-5627 Mobile: (208) 985 6266 O[Mc!3EICKD2%. 6-month Exclusive Use (EU) contract extensions for 34 - Type 2 helicopters with contracts expiring in 2022, utilizing BOAs for remaining EU line items. Hawaii beats the national average by 4.2%, and Tennessee furthers that trend with another $4,165 (5.9%) above the $71,117. Website Coordinator The Forest Service also has helicopters on Call When Needed contracts, on the hope that they will be available when the phone rings. The A-10 is built to be highly survivable and can takeoff and land in locations near the front lines. Im not convinced that either trying to do an abrupt transition is appropriate NOR is standing still while other more modern aircraft are available. NWCG typing standards enable accurate ordering and acquisition of needed resources in support of nationally interoperable wildland fire operations. Type 3 engines and tactical water tenders shall be equipped with a foam proportioner system. This amounts to budget dollars that would have to be tied to each individual contract and could not be utilized anywhere else. Airbus Helicopters breaks ground on first helicopter as Leonardo: Centaurium Aviation Ltd. takes delivery of it Health Crisis: the French Gendarmerie air support. Qualification Category. Todd more well informed insight here. All perpetuated by the Gov. Rotating wing aircraft have a special place in the fire-fighting system. Large Airtankers (LATs) can deliver from 2,000 to 4,000 gallons of fire retardant to support firefighters on the ground. Office: (208) 387-5835 Mobile: (208) 407-6002 IQCS Qualifications | IQCS - NWCG That means NO helitack, NO rappelers, ONLY flight crew and bucket work. To put things in perspective, these aircraft perform interventions against US fires which CL-415 water bombers perform at home. Just need to add, Mama told me the customer is always right. All water tenders and engine types 3 through 6 shall be able to prime and pump water from a 10 foot lift. Type 2 helicopters are very effective initial attack resources. Aviation Safety and Mngmnt Plan One vendor said new requirements could reduce the number of helicopters on contract. Southern Area Regional Coordination Group Operating Plan. The Q&A period is a nicety, but rarely ever provides valuable responses to industry. Rotating blades are also present and again play a discrete but essential role where their natural qualities are exploited at best. Initial attack/can be broken up into squads, fireline construction, firing to include burnout. (Y/N - if "Y" add expiration date on card) 6. PRINT NWCG Standards for Wildland Fire Resource Typing, PMS 200, NWCG Standards for Wildland Fire Resource Typing, PMS 200, M-581, Fire Program Management Course Steering Committee, M-582, AA Advanced Wildland Fire Course Steering Committee, Committee Roles and Membership Information, Course Steering Committee Guidance & Templates, International Association of Fire Chiefs Roster, National Association of State Foresters Roster, Alternative Pathways to NWCG Qualification, Incident Performance Training Modernization (IPTM), Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program, NWCG Data Standard: Fire Resource Kind, Category, and Type, Incident and Position StandardsCommittee, Standards forInteragency Hotshot Crew Operations, Retardant or water-carrying capability (gal), Maximum gross takeoff and landing weight (lb). The FS is certainly aware of Mr. Gabbert who has reached out to public affairs folks within the agency on numerous occasions. Helicopters refill their buckets at dip sites such as public lakes, reservoirs, or any water sources that are deep enough for the buckets. If the income is lower and lower due to LPTA and the job security is year to year with no guarantee, most lenders will tell you to try another bank to mortgage your house. What happens when they implement it towards Type Is? Note:Tanker capacity standards may vary by agency. Ignoring the facts of what that aircraft can actually carry, not what the vendor claims. Those who can manage might do fineor they might just get tossed out with the bathwater.. Maybe the PM, HS and the CO should talk to some a/c financing companies/banks to better understand the reality of upgrading or buying new equipment? These are basically short term Exclusive use contracts and I expect will be moved around at such per fire danger needs, and will be putting lots of hours on Hobbs meters. USFS R8 / USFWS R4 Annual Operating Plan for the use of the AS350B2 Helicopter. The U.S. Forest Service has awarded 90-day contracts for an 22 additional helicopters that can lift at least 3,300 or 7,000 pounds. Maybe all of the experienced aviation folks you mention are part of this have never actually had to buy a multi-million a/c, maintain it, crew it and ensure that its operable? Type 1 helicopters are the largest, fastest flying and the most expensive helicopters used on wildland fires. Video of two Type 1 helicopters reloading with retardant, 41 Companies on $1B Forest Service Helicopter Support Contract, Updates on Nob Fire and WatchDuty is looking for help, North Carolina: Great Lakes Fire burning in footprint of 2012 fire. Comments, questions, and recommendations shall be submitted to the appropriate agency representative assigned to the steward for each resource. All the UTFs for rotors can get name-tied back to a few individuals at NIFC. 0000010826 00000 n PDF Fillable Forms must be downloaded to your computer, you can then open them up in your Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat software to fill them in and save. They will tell you they have their smerfs.SMEs ( who typically are cradle to grave beuracrats as well), who are supposedly dialed in on the subject matter surerightlmao I may be incorrect in this, but I think the less than excited response from industry is based on them providing questions and input to the PM, HS and CO and getting pretty unsatisfactory responses. The most spectacular heavy-duty helicopters have long been the Erickson AirCrane, the CH-54 refurbished by the Oregon-based company that has developed for them a constant-rate and controlled-release airdrop that is considered one of the most efficient and reliable. Each bucket has a release valve on the bottom controlled by the helicopter crew. Yes, the customer is the FS. The National Interagency Fire Center is committed to making its information and communication technologies accessible to individuals with disabilities by meeting or exceeding the requirements of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended. For an operator to be competitive in the LPTA world, you need to amortize the cost of the a/c over 10 years or more. CWN Helicopter Procurement Comparison NOTE: The procurement (USFS or DOI) is determined by which agency has jurisdiction over the fire, project or lands.