Newsletter

Aerial Firefighters In Rapid Response To Massive California Wildfires

2016

Overview

[Mike Rotonda] noted that the fire is currently posing a serious threat to the resort community of Wrightwood. \"We are doing our best to protect lives and property,\" he said. \"We will be dropping approximately 2000 gallons of either retardant or water, per mission, depending on the needs of the Blue Cut Fire Air Attack.\" \"When we first got there, the Soberanes fire had just started,\" [Robin Rogers] noted. \"We now have a Bell 212 and two Eurocopter AStars working on the fire. Mostly, the helicopters are doing water drops, but the two AStars are also flying helicopter coordinator missions, an air traffic control function, directing other helicopters where to go to drop the water.\" \"This year, we are seeing an increasing amount of property destruction in California, particularly as a result of the state's ongoing drought, and a growing number of people residing in wildland-urban interface zones,\" said George Hill, Executive Director of the American Helicopter Services and Aerial Firefighting Association (AHSAFA). \"These companies, which are all privately owned and operated, have brought an enormous amount of resources to bear in one of the world's most fire-prone areas, and have deployed them with a tremendous degree of dedication.\"

• Publisher: U.S. Newswire
• Subject: Rogers, Robin