NZAAA Conference - Queenstown 12 October 2007 Vegetation Fire Fighting Mike Grant Southern Rural Fire Authority
Aircraft Management at Rural Fires • Safety • Logistics • Efficiency
Minister of Internal Affairs NEW ZEALAND FIRE SERVICE COMMISSION NEW ZEALAND FIRE SERVICE COMMISSION National Rural Fire Advisory Committee Chief Executive OUTPUTS Rural Fire Management Code of Practice Audits New Zealand Fire Service National Rural Fire Authority Grants (National Commander) (National Rural Fire Officer) Rural FireFighting Fund Rural Fire Co-ordination OUTPUTS Fire Prevention Fire Readiness Fire Preparedness Regional Rural Fire Committees Fire Response Recovery OUTPUTS Fire Detection Fire Prevention Fire Protection Fire Service Fire Brigades Rural Fire Authorities Fire Control - Dept of Conservation Fire Supppresion - Rural Fire Districts Authorities - Local Territorial Authorities (87)
Coordinated Incident Management System (CIMS) – Based on common principles – Multi-agency and resource – Applied to all incidents-small and large – Provides for accountability
Incident Management Structure I n f o r m a t i o n I n c i d e n t S a f e t y C o n t r o l l e r L i a i s o n P l a n n i n g / O p e r a t i o n s L o g i s t i c s I n t e l l i g e n c e S u p p l y Sector Supervisor S i t u a t i o n F a c i li t i e s Sector Supervisor R e s o u r c e s C o m m u n i c a t i o n s Crew Leader M a n a g m e n t s u p p o r t M e d i c a l Crew Leader I n t e l li g e n c e / I n f o r m a t i o n C a t e r i n g Air Division Commander A d v a n c e d p l a n n i n g F in a n c e Air Attack Supervisor Air Support Supervisor
Aerial Division Operations Manager Air Division Commander Air Support Supervisor Air Attack Supervisor Helipad/Airstrip Supervisors Lead Pilot - Helos/FW’s Filling Crews Aircraft/Pilots
Air Attack Supervisor Role AAS reports to Operations Manager/Air Division Commander • Participates in development of IAP (ADC Role) • Prepares Air Operations Plan (ADC Role) • Manages/Supervises air attack activities • Appoints Lead Pilot(s) for specific sectors • Co-ordinates aircraft activities over the fire • Monitors aircraft tactical performance • Makes tactical recommendations to Operations Manager/ADC • Ensures safety standards are maintained • Monitors pilot workloads
Air Support Supervisor Role Reports to Operations Manager/Air Division Commander • Organises preliminary air operations • Establishes/manages aircraft support unit • Appoints personnel to unit (fill crews, pad/strip supervisors, A/C logistics etc) • Considers request for non-tactical use of A/C (media, IMT overflights, mapping etc) • Considers instigation of restricted airspace (TRA) in consultation with AAS • Monitors pilot welfare
Aircraft Support Operations Unit • Helipad/Airstrip setup/management • Aircraft resource tracking • Fuel supplies (if bulk supplies are required) • Foam/Retardant supplies • Air Operations personnel: – RFA filling crews – Aircraft company crews
Incident Action Plan Air Operations Plan Incident Name: Communications Date: Command Freq: Air Attack Supervisor: Aircraft Officer: Lead Helicopter Pilot: Lead Fixed-Wing Pilot: Pilot Name/ Aircraft Registration Assignment Comms Telephone Company /Callsign Type /Sector Tactical Chl Nos Onboard Company Onboard Company Onboard Company Onboard Company
Flight Summary
T-Cards
Recording Requirements • Aircraft companies (fire) must keep accurate flight records of the dates, days, hours and locations worked. • Aircraft companies (fire) must allow the RFA to inspect these records and any flight hours recording device at any time and must provide the RFA with completed records at the end of each day’s work. • Pilot or designated appointee must sign off any aircraft work sheet at the end of each day’s work. • Any aircraft accounts submitted for payment need to be within normal business practice timelines.
Future Requirements Only companies with rated aircraft and rated pilots will be utilised on vegetation fires !
Fire Pilot Requirements – (Orange Handbook) Registered Pilots: • >1000 hrs commercial flight time • FRSITO Unit Std 3285: Protect Personnel Safety on the Fire Ground Cat III - Lead Pilots • >100hrs fire fighting experience • FRSITO Unit Std 14564: Effects of the Fire Environment on Vegetation Fire Cat II - Unrestricted pilots: • 50 – 99 hrs fire fighting experience - works under lead pilot and/or AAS Cat I - Restricted Pilots : • <50hrs fire fighting experience - works under lead pilot
Lead Pilot Roles Report to the Air Attack Supervisor. If none has been appointed, lead pilots then report to the IC or Operations Manager • Responsible for the safe use of their own aircraft and monitor safety of their assigned air sector. • Establish circuits from fill points and pads/strips to the fire ground. • Assist in coordinating flight patterns of fire fighting aircraft where appropriate. • Maintain communications with other aircraft. • Ensure incident strategies and tactics are being met. • Ensure an information feedback loop is established between pilots and incident command. • Do not direct aircraft strategies and tactics in suppression work – this is the responsibility of incident command.
Minimum Aircraft Requirements • A minimum of 10 flights hours available before inspection/service. If this is not practical then the incident command must be informed of actual hours available and any actions that will be undertaken to mitigate this situation. • Heli Bucket or Belly Tank system suitable for type of helicopter flown • On-board control system and an approved system for jettisoning the under-slung load as appropriate • Adjustable skirt/trunk • On-board class A foam induction system • VHF-FM band radio (ES B band) with approved frequencies for multi-agency fire fighting operations • Global Position System-equipped • In addition to on-board fuel, 3 hours fuel available and transportable to the fire ground • Experienced ground crew to undertake refuelling operations and engineering support as appropriate
Communications Plan Southland/ Otago agreed channel plan • Move away from AM to FM – ES Band • Common channel blocks – Fire, SAR, Ambulance, etc • Fire 1,2,3, • Fire 4 - air to ground
Training Undertaken Southland/Otago/Canterbury • Pilots/support staff – Personal Safety = 40 + – Fire Behaviour = 30 +
Additional Training Options • Training options for industry – Fire fighting strategies – Prescribed burning – Aircraft support
Air Operations Strategies • Use aircraft where their performance criteria are maximised. • Make use of fixed and rotary-wing aircraft in tandem to maximise hitting power on high-intensity fires. • Tie in air operations to support ground forces as they move onto the sectors. For These to be Effective Communications are Vital
Aerial Fire Fighting Strategies Fixed-Wing Water Bombers Monsoon-Equipped Helicopters Ground Crews / Aircraft Fire Point of origin
Tactics for Aerial Suppression Head-On Attack No Anchor point for attack has led to breaching
Tactics for Aerial Suppression Pinching in the Head Fire Anchor Point Anchor Point
Night Work • Other than SAFETY & EFFICIENCY • RFA have no position at present on use of NVG • RFA awaiting aviation industry standard
Helicopter Fill Points
Fixed Wing Fill Points
Accentuate the Positive • Large fires or those with potential to become large have been contained by fast, aggressive and well resourced initial air/ground attack • Air attack allows ground crews/resources to follow up and extinguish fires
Involvement of NZAAA • NZ (Orange Handbook) standards were developed with industry input and coordinated by NRFA. • Now require further discussion with industry on refinement and implementation. • NZAAA involvement – National standards – Utilisation of resource on national basis
Involvement of Rural Fire Industry • RFAs need to consider future turnout of aircraft to incidents • Work with aviation industry to – implement training programmes nationally/regionally – Adopt national fire radio frequencies/channels – Address succession requirements
Questions ??
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