Water tanks in the sky: Firefighting planes help ground crews combat California wildfires
Fighting the deadly wildfires in Southern California requires a coordinated team effort – from tactical crews attacking hazardous hot spots on the ground to planes and helicopters providing fire suppression from the air.
Specialized aircraft are dropping massive amounts of water and colorful fire retardant to aid thousands of firefighters on the ground – and some fly breathtakingly low to do it.
The water and chemicals dropped by aircraft aren’t designed to completely extinguish wildfires by themselves, though they can be used to significantly reduce fires to allow access to ground crews.
Instead, they’re often used to build a barrier called a fire line, a strip of land that has been cleared of flammable material down to bare soil. Fire lines can contain or slow a wildfire.
California, Nevada and Wyoming National Guard units are sending aircraft and 1,850 personnel to help California firefighting forces, the U.S. Air Force reported Monday.
They'll add to what the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection is using against the Los Angeles wildfires:
CL-415 Super Scooper
The high-profile – and most eye-catching – firefighting aircraft is the Canadian CL-415 Super Scooper, a $30 million amphibious plane. It’s capable of scooping 1,600 gallons of water from a lake in 12 seconds and dropping it on a fire minutes later.
It can release water from as low as 100 feet. Other aircraft have to release at higher altitudes.
Despite its price, the Super Scooper, which can quickly reload on water without landing, is considered extremely cost-effective in fighting wildfires, according to Business Insider.
Cal Fire doesn’t own any Super Scoopers. Instead, it has been leasing two of the aircraft from the Quebec government every year for nearly 30 years.
Last week, a private drone violated flight restrictions and hit and damaged a wing of a Super Scooper working the Palisades Fire. The plane landed safely, was repaired and should return to service today.
Quebec is sending two more Super Scoopers to aid Cal Fire, the War Zone reported.
Bell UH-1H 'Super Huey'
Cal Fire has 12 UH-1H Super Huey helicopters, which are being replaced by Sikorsky Fire Hawk helicopters. Large buckets, used to transport water, can be suspended below them and used to douse fire sites.
Sikorsky S-70i 'Fire Hawk' helicopter
Cal Fire has 12 Sikorsky S70i Fire Hawk helicopters and plans to add four more. They're used in first responses to wildfires and for rescue missions.
Grumman S-2T Airtanker
Cal Fire has 23 Grumman S-2T Airtankers, which are used for rapid deliveries of fire retardant on wildfires. The planes are based strategically throughout California.
North American OV-10A Bronco Air Tactical Aircraft
Cal Fire has 16 North American OV-10 Air Tactical aircraft. They're used primarily as command, control and coordination platforms in wildfire incidents, the department says.
C-130 Hercules Airtanker
Cal Fire has seven C-130 Hercules Airtankers. They're used for rapid delivery of fire retardanton wildfires.
Additional C-130s with Modular Aerial Fire Fighting Systems will join California firefighters, the U.S. Air Force reported Monday.
The planes are from the 146th Airlift Wing in California, the 152nd Airlift Wing and 192nd Airlift Squadron in Nevada, the 153rd Airlift Wing and 187th Airlift Squadron in Wyoming, and the 302nd Airlift Wing and 731st Airlift Squadron from U.S. Air Force Reserve units based in Colorado Springs.
Water or fire retardant?
Water and chemical fire retardant are used to fight wildfires. Water is obtained from reservoirs and other natural and commercial sources.
Ocean water can be used, but firefighters usually don’t use it, Paste BN reported. Saltwater can be corrosive to firefighting equipment and cause damage to tools, such as tanks, hydrants and hoses, according to Technology.org. It can also damage the ecosystem of the land it's used on.
Firefighters are using a vibrant red fire retardant known as Phos-Chek, Paste BN reported. It’s a common element that has been used by firefighters battling wildland blazes for more than 50 years, according to its manufacturer, Perimeter Solutions.
It has been approved for use by the U.S. Forest Service. However, over concern for the environment, the agency banned its use on federal lands near waterways or habitats of endangered species – except when lives or critical infrastructure are threatened, Paste BN said.
As it's heated, the components in the retardant prevent the cellulose in plant matter from fueling the fire, according to Perimeter Solutions. It instead emits water vapor as it decomposes, which "cools the fire" and essentially starves it of fuel.
Left behind is a black carbon coating "that both insulates and restricts air flow to any residual fuels," according to a manufacturer's report on its use. "When this occurs, the intensity of the fuel-starved fire decreases and control is much easier to achieve."
From 2009 to 2021, more than 440 million gallons of long-term fire retardant were dumped across federal, state and private land, most of it in the western U.S., according to federal estimates.
CONTRIBUTING Christopher Cann, Sam Woodard
SOURCE Paste BN Network reporting and research; Reuters; California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection; Western Fire Chiefs Association; National Interagency Fire Center; U.S. Air Force; Frontline Wildfire Defense; dehavilland.com; twz.com