Dropping water on an Oregon wildfire an air-ground operation

HENRY HAGG LAKE, Ore. (KOIN) — As another wildfire season ramps up in Oregon, firefighters continue to practice their responses from the ground and from the air.

On Tuesday, 60 Oregon firefighters trained on how to coordinate a water drop from the air to the ground using what is called a Fire Boss.

“Fire Bosses is a trade name,” said Jamie Knight, an aviation operations specialist with the Oregon Department of Forestry . “They’re actually single engine scoopers. That is the aircraft itself.”

These air tankers can scoop up to 800 gallons of water, and dropping it on the right spot is “pretty satisfying,” said Aaron Vince, the chief pilot for Coastal Air Strike.

But to do that — drop 800 gallons on just the right spot — needs help from ground crew members.

“It feels really cool to talk to them,” said Wally Waible, a permanent forest officer for the ODF. “You feel like you’re really important talking to pilots because they’re up there doing such a dangerous and important job.”

This training exercise helps them learn how to do just that.

“These trainings definitely help out a lot. We deal with a lot of helicopters, and the verbiage that you use with the scoopers is quite different than what you use with helicopters,” Waible said.

Knight said these scoopers can respond quickly to a fire.

“Less time in the air to get from their home base, which is in The Dalles, or Dallas,” Knight said. “Port Washington is where the airport is, over to northwest Oregon, then say a helicopter with a bucket would be.”

Vince said his main tip to firefighters on the ground is to “treat us like your buddy.”

“We’re trying to figure it out,” he said. “So don’t be intimidated with just a two-way conversation.”

There are only two scoopers in the state of Oregon, which makes them a valuable tool in fighting wildfires.

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