Doing the heavy lifting in the fight against fires

Pilot Darrel Folkvord examines the bucket that can drop thousands of gallons of water on wildfires. Folkvord pilots the Boeing Chinook helicopter, in background.

By RUSSELL VINEYARD
Baker City Herald

The U.S. Forest Service has enlisted some heavy-lifting help in the campaign to douse wildfires in Northeastern Oregon.

A Boeing 234 Chinook helicopter has been on standby at the Baker City Municipal Airport for about the past month.

The twin-rotor aircraft can dump more than 1,700 gallons of water on a blaze.

And that’s only one load.

The Forest Service usually contracts with a private company to supply a helicopter for firefighting work on the Wallowa-Whitman, but the aircraft typically is stationed at the La Grande Airport, said Judy Wing, public information officer for the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest.

Fire bosses decided to move the Chinook to Baker City because most of the wildfires this summer have started on the southern part of the Wallowa-Whitman, nearer to Baker City than to La Grande, Wing said.

Pilot Darrel Folkvord said the helicopter can haul up to 6,100 gallons at sea level — 51,000 pounds of water.

But in Northeastern Oregon, where most wildfires happen at elevations above 4,000 feet, the Chinook’s capacity is less because the aircraft is less efficient in the thinner air.

“You’d be amazed, after a long day there could be a million gallons loaded and dumped,” Folkvord said.

The water is carried in a bucket that hangs beneath the helicopter, which was built in 1983 and is part of Columbia Helicopters fleet based in Aurora, south of Portland.

Although the bucket can be submerged in a lake or river for filling, it doesn’t need to be.

The bottom of the bucket is fitted with four pumps that suck water in.

“We only need to lower it in 18 inches. As long as there is that, we can suck up as much as 15,000 pounds of water,” Folkvord said.

The amount of water the Chinook can carry on a particular mission depends not only on elevation, but also on the amount of fuel on board.

When the chopper is full of fuel it can’t lift as much water.

Pilots also can haul fire retardant in the bucket instead of water.

“They’ll mix a huge container full of retardant and we lowered the bucket in and fill up with it,” Folkvord said. “Works very well.

When flying a fire mission, there are two pilots: one operates the bucket, the other flies the helicopter.

When the helicopter reaches the fire, the pilot hovers so that the bucket is 50 to 75 feet above the ground.

The crew uses radios to communicate with firefighters on the ground, who tell the pilots where to dump the water, and how much to release.

The cockpit of the helicopter is fitted with two bubble windows on either side so pilots can tell where the fire is.

On Wednesday morning the Chinook helped snuff out a lightning-caused fire on the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest.

“We dumped about two loads worth in,” Folkvord said.

Fighting a fire on the ground is not without its dangers. Fighting one from the air presents different sorts of hazards.

Pilots have to position the helicopter upwind of the smoke.

They strive to do so, anyway.

“Every now and then the wind shifts and blows smoke into us. We want to get out of it quickly,” Folkvord said. “The smoke can flame out the engine.”

Many of the Chinook helicopters used to fight fires are rebuilt versions of aircraft originally used by the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.

Although the Chinook stationed at Baker City is based in Aurora, Folkvord lives in Helena, Mont.

“Everyone is from all over,” Folkvord said.

Crews fly all over the West, depending on Columbia’s contracts.

The bucket is carried in the cargo hold and an additional bucket is carried in a vehicle which, Folkvord said, catches up to the helicopter eventually.

Folkvord said they had a six-month contract. They will spend three months in Eastern Oregon and three months in Utah.

So far, the crews have snuffed four or five fires in Oregon: one near Burns, one near Redmond and three in Northeastern Oregon.