Does anyone smell a red herring or see a strawman waving his arms? The beauty of a free country. Your input allows us to recognize outstanding service and also provides a tool to address areas of industry concern. _A KWS ranger learning to identify individual elephants. So do we get balanced journalism here. 6-month Exclusive Use (EU) contract extensions for 34 Type 2 helicopters with contracts expiring in 2022, utilizing BOAs for remaining EU line items. We really love being on Team USFS. National Exclusive Use Helicopters (Large Fire Support/Initial Attack) Nobody should bid, then when everything is on fire and the USFS comes begging then youd have some leverage on them. Modular AirborneFirefighting System (MAFFS) Mechanics At the beginning of the 2017 western fire season there were 20 large and very large air tankers on EU contracts plus two water-scooping air tankers. Here is what they wrote. Guess what those choppers wont have cockpit cameras or loudspeakers or TAS. See Full Story. October 27, 2021 Forest Service Response: The USFS recognizes the importance of safety recommendation A-10-168 and continues to refine Flight Data Monitoring requirements. One important change in 2017 was the 18 percent reduction in the number of Type 1 helicopters on exclusive use (EU) contract. Heat Wave DB109505 12 hours 52 minutes by TJ Klune read by Michael Lesley . Given the current climate of helicopter contracts there will be more people getting out of helicopters than getting into them. U.S. Forest Service and Interagency Aviation Publications It seems nothing is making sense anymore, and we are destined to fail if this shortsightedness is allowed to continue. Well, maybe in some locations. My sympathies lean towards the contractors who despite expending capital, training pilots and mechanics etc. 3. Getting older with health concerns doing my best to stay on top of current events has not been a smooth path. Thank you. But we think we are really on the right track with our air tankers.. The administrative bases of the helicopters will be at 48 locations. Much of the defense budget is spent in countries on the other side of the world. I know we arent alone in how upset we are with the Forest Service right now. Forest Service contracted Type 1 helicopters are a strategic National Resource, contracted to support the national firefighting effort. . Posted by on Jun 10, 2022 in iroquois word for warrior | which of the following statements about histograms are true? Such costs could be spread out over the period of the contract. Office: (208) 616-5548 Mobile: (208) 616- 5548, Training Centers Support (Main Contact) Official websites use .gov There is no cost, and in case you change your mind each email has an unsubscribe button. National Helicopters (Large Fire Support, Initial Attack, Call-When-Needed) The ICP may be co-located with the incident base or other incident facilities and provides certain essential auxiliary forms of support, such as food, sleeping areas, equipment, trailers,and sanitation. This amounts to budget dollars that would have to be tied to each individual contract and could not be utilized anywhere else. Deere & Company (Ground Maintenance Equipment) PADD20231336. Fire camp infrastructureand Incident Command Post (ICP) is a location at which primary command functions are executed. But you better pay for it, USFS says! For type 3 helos it may be possible, providing the USFS can double the budget because thats what vendors are going to bid for a new aircraft with higher maintenance cost and complexity, additionally operating hot and high im sure the load charts are going to have to be quite conservative to ensure OEI is landing safely and not just crashing slower, Everything has to be in balance, you cant spend unlimited money, and you cant eliminate all risk, the safest and most inexpensive helicopter is one that sits on the ground. i digress. National Exclusive Use Airtanker Service Contract: Fillable, Printable Have a fire aviation news tip? What year was this pic taken?? PDF Chapter 50 Aircraft Each bucket has a release valve on the bottom controlled by the helicopter crew. I think you answered your own question with why are they only replacing type II and III legacy platforms and not type I? 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 What can replicate the performance of a UH-1H with a -703 as a bucket bird? 64 2021 National Interagency Mobilization Guide . My look and details are just that- my perception. Erickson Incorporated announced three new USFS Firefighting contracts for the upcoming 2021 wildfire season. Not entirely true.why would a state find the funding to contract with a LAT provider??? The cheapest camera we could find is $10,000. The question and answer document shows the USFS is unwilling to be understanding its our way or the highway, thanks for nothing. Candidates include the Bell 429, Airbus/Eurocopter H135 or H145 or other light twins on the market. Certainly valid concerns regarding the quantity of helicopters to transition and timeline. Along with Monitormonkey from above. PDF Aviation Annual Report - US Forest Service PDF 3833 South Development Avenue; Boise, ID 83705 The Logistics Branch provides support for WO Fire & Aviation Operations customers (located at NIFC) with the procurement of (urgent/immediate)incidentresources, such as retardant chemicals and related services, mobile food services, mobile shower facilities, firefighting crews, Critical Incident Stress Management Services (CISM) and National Videographer/Photographer Services. If it aint broke, dont try to fix it. Aerial SupervisionModule(Lead Planes) 6-month EU contract extensions for Type 3 helicopters with contracts expiring in 2022, utilizing BOAs for remaining EU line items. There was a big demand for the S-61 (w/Carson Blades) along with a call for both pilots and mechanics in Afghanistan on High dollar US Gov. Each year, DNR works ahead of the fire season to improve its access to professional equipment and services for fire suppression. Two discussions, one one year, the other 2019. The Contracting office doesnt make the requirements or evaluation criteria in the solicitation, that is the responsibility of the program office..PERIOD ! US Forest Service Archives - HeliHub.com Sounds like a great schedule to buy a next gen helicopter. A lock ( We live near Custer S.D. Enter your email address to subscribe and receive notifications of new posts by email. Daniels Electronics (Public Safety Communications Products, Services and Solutions) PADD20221183. Civil, Firefighting, News, US Forest Service 34 0 obj <>stream (A source in D.C. told us there is a chance the legislation will include a fix to the fire borrowing fiasco, where funds are taken from other functions to pay for wildfire suppression.). The schedule calls for most of them to begin in April and May. Last year we saw 18 percent fewer Type 1 helicopters and the number of large air tankers was 57 percent of the recommendation in theNIAC Interagency Aviation Strategy. The three-day operation used a helicopter and high powered rifles to take out the cows in a rugged area where federal officials and environmentalists say the animals have been trampling stream banks, damaging habitat for other species and ruining water quality. I will agree to have a different look at the Fires. Sawtooth burned in parts of the fire scar. I can see daily availability rates sky rocketing, which it sounds like is expected. Your last sentence in the nail in the coffin.seeing as that this contract will be LPTA and a year to year option, how do you finance a new a/c that will surely be $2-$4M on the low end? Additionally, these aircraft have a unilateral option to extend for an The difference is there are very few air tankers compared to helicopters on EU and CWN contracts. They never seem to be logical ! Talking Book Topics March-April 2023 - National Library Service for the In 2016 the FS hired 34 Type 1 helicopters but starting in 2017 reduced the number to 28. Maybe in talking to a 3rd party lender the FS would learn more about these challenges that industry is facing due to the well intended, but poorly delivered solicitation requirements? Thank you. Office: (208) 387-5682 Mobile: (208) 407-6003, Andrea Marks-Cash, Contract Specialist Bill would rather not take his private industry advertisers $$$, but he should and needs to get paid for the hard work he puts in and he knows you Government boys cant/wont pay him to tell the truth. Huh. Plate 1. The U.S. Forest Service, the agency responsible for awarding federal contracts for large air tankers and firefighting helicopters, is proposing a number of very significant changes to the helicopter contracts. Maybe they could have figured out a better transition, maybe not. But you better pay for it, USFS says! I believe the FS had about 6-9 nationally funded HLCO platforms in order to provide aerial supervision to these surge aircraft but this year? LGBT Themes. The FS is a sinking ship by every measurable metric and the aircraft contracting department is clearly no exception. Things like long term stability, Banking considerations and finance never enter into the Governments equation. Official websites use .gov At least two CL-415s were removed from USFS contracts and placed on a state contract this year too. It is very different from putting out an RFQ for an item that a company bids on based on their own estimation of costs that will meet the specification, where nothing has yet been manufactured and nobody really knows what things will cost until they research the bid spec. National Pilots Hows about an STC for personal electronic devices, only available from one company, nobody else in the industry even knows what the hell the STC is or is for! Welcome to the Nation's Logistical Support Center | National . They essentially want a Sky Crane to do a Jet Rangers job. NIFC Janitorial We live near Custer S.D. In each case, only the first year is guaranteed. Type 1 helicopters are the largest, fastest flying and the most expensive helicopters used on wildland fires. Talking to the local authority of that Bush Fire area- depending on the rainfall it will wipe out watersheds roads On the contractor side, if you want to bid on a contract without those things, fine, lets see how important they really are for the mission by whether the FS still go for the low bid or walk the walk and share the expense of upgrades. So a one year contract with each additional option year at the discretion of the agency with unreliable congressional funding is not a concept that makes potential vendors feel all warm and fuzzy. Im not convinced that either trying to do an abrupt transition is appropriate NOR is standing still while other more modern aircraft are available. 25 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/ID[<4B96358E361BA0CE76F6294DEFAC0978>]/Index[10 25]/Info 9 0 R/Length 79/Prev 92044/Root 11 0 R/Size 35/Type/XRef/W[1 2 1]>>stream Coulson pilots in Chile are aided by translators in the cockpits, Erickson converting an Air-Crane to haul military cargo without a pilot in the cockpit, Lockheed looks ahead to advancing capability in wildland firefighting, Aerial Firefighters Association to promote safety, standards, innovation, Coulson tanker down in Western Australia, pilots okay, Helicopter crash kills 2 in Chilean fires. Add to this that they are wanting us to throw all of this money into our aircraft to get on the contract (which is now a 10 year contract!) Who will buy a 206, 407, etc besides AG guys? Imagine that. Perhaps thats the point: There are available alternatives on the market that can replace the legacy platforms for type II and III, so we should continue upgrading the fleet as we can. In my lifetime, I will not see the beauty I once hiked. Its playing out exactly like we (helitack crews who actually do the work and are face to face with the vendors every day) predicted at the beginning of this season. Heres an idea that probably nobody will like. Fire managers recognized the value of helicopters to rapidly transport personnel and cargo to a fire, especially in remote locations. Those who can manage might do fineor they might just get tossed out with the bathwater.. They claim that 2 times throughout the 1/9 year parent contract, they will allow onboarding of new vendors/equipment. Moving to 10-year contracts for firefighting aircraft was mentioned several times in an April 15 hearing before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, featuring U.S. Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen and her testimony. These standards assign typing designations based on measurable capability and performance criteria. Click here. Helicopters also deliver firefighting crews called helitack crews to fires for initial attack. 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. Office: (208) 387-5272 Mobile: (208) 616-5546 Nada! Interested vendors must get their offers to the FS by March 3, 2021. They almost seem to be writing rules to make the use of Firefighting Aircraft, impossible . Secure .gov websites use HTTPS Lots more. Aviation for Region 2 I think there is a better way to handle each Fire Season. Enter your email address to subscribe and receive notifications of new posts by email. It also recommended a total of 35 air tankers by 2018, which included three water-scooping air tankers. I think the word escape needs to be looked at a little deeperthat is what I do as a housewife hiker. TheAirtanker Modernization Strategydoes not make an independent recommendation on the number of helicopters or air tankers that are needed. However, multi-year contacts must also include an aspect of a cancellation ceiling which must be funded up front. I am trying to figure it out each Fire Season how to keep men and women safe Exactly. Retrain public information officers and media how Wildland Fire works, And listening to and heeding the counsel of competent IA resources would go a long way to regaining the confidence of their employees and the general public-, I will chew on your inquiry and sleep on itget back later to you. Smokejumperstravel all over the country, including Alaska, to provide highly-trained, experienced firefighters and leadership for quick initial attack on wildland fires in remote areas. The end result is fewer options for the government, but maybe that is what they want. FS is gonna end up with a heavy National Guard helicopter fleet next year. Budget Coordinator You have to love the obvious FS sycophants on here making contemptuous, defensive and specious arguments. What type of copters are under contract for Colorado? Have a fire aviation news tip? In addition, the federal land management agencies said last year they were going to limit the number of less-than-full-suppression fires and attack new ignitions aggressively. So given that the PM and the HS are both aviation folks, this means that they have certain goals that they are trying to achieve given the shape that the Solicitation is taking. Try to pass on the cost of newer more expensive equipment in less than 10 years than the operators fails on the LPTA front. One thing Ive been dealing with, Rep. Mike Simpson said, are the aviation assets of the Forest Service Are we going to have a clear outline for the next 10-year plan for what the Forest Service needs in terms of air assets? Faintly, what are the advertisement you see posted on this site? The arrogance and dismissal by the FS with most questions being answered Noted, Language will remain as written just adds frustration to irritation. All perpetuated by the Gov. And CWN aircraft cost the government much more to operate than EU resources. It will be going through clearance in a matter of a few days and it will be getting to the committee here shortly. Say goodbye to the 205 and 212, its brand new 412EPXs or nothing. Nap time seems more like it versus getting too much into Fire Season 2021 and my thoughts. hmo0?n'*$hKjA RHPJX)T|~C}""HFB g R1F$\^=$F~s~m:lLNUy?$4(ci1agLZ^O;js"Yt4cRdQAWx~)x=("B|5df/ed%4&lCh$+M/ooXS{RNrdt That wind yesterday has me in a sinus pressure headache today. Dont you? No wonder there is absolutely no concern about the financial impact of this proposal. Just need to add, Mama told me the customer is always right. Wewill award the EU 28 120-day Mandatory Availability Period Type 1 contracts using the CWN BOA to fill the 28 EU line items. Try to pass on the cost of newer, more expensive equipment in less than 10 years, than the operator fails on the LPTA front b/c his day rate will be too high. In 2016 the FS hired 34 Type 1 helicopters but starting in 2017 reduced the number to 28. I am concerned that it will reduce resources in a way that will harm the communitys we generally get to help. 2. Its unimaginable that they have created a situation where its likely there will not be a sustainable source for fire aircraft. USFS reduces the number of helicopters on national contracts Federal Contract Opportunity for National Exclusive-Use Type 1 and Type 2 Helicopter Modernization SN-2021-01 . DOI/OAS & Interagency Aviation Bulletins. What happens when they implement it towards Type Is? A nod to newer technology. National Incident Management Organization (NIMO) Support So, because the Forest Service wants to push all but the top tier of their options out, they are essentially putting every government agencys resources at risk. CO Support on all major contract programs (Mobile Food Services, Mobile Showers, Type 2 & 2-IA Crews, Retardant Chemicals), Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) Alternate Focal Point In addition, the federal land management agencies said last year they were going to limit the number of less-than-full-suppression fires and attack new ignitions aggressively.
