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Twin Falls District Fire and Aviation

AVIATION

The Aviation arm of the Twin Falls District Fire and Aviation Program is operated out of the Twin Falls Air Base. Aviation programs include Single Engine Air Tanker (SEAT) Operations, Air Attack Operations, Helitack Operations, and Full Service Retardant Contracting. Most aviation activities occur during the summer, with all aviation personnel working to provide support for large fire operations, and stay ready for new local fires.

• Full-time Unit Aviation Manager
• Assistant Unit Aviation Manager who also serves as an Air Base Manager
• Air Tactical Group Supervisor
• Helitack Supervisor
• 11 helitack crewmembers
• two SEAT managers
• Ramp Manager- provides for safe movement of aircraft on the ramp during loading operations

The Base also provides office quarters for a Retardant Contractor, assigned to load retardant onto the aircraft as they are parked in the pit. Liquid Concentrate is mixed through a proportioning valve, then measured to show pounds loaded onto the aircraft.  Two loading pits allow for two aircraft to be parked and filled with retardant at the same time.  Loading can take up to 6 minutes for large tankers that hold 2,550 gallons, or 3 minutes for a SEAT carrying 750 gallons. Aircraft often “load and return,” where they drop onto the fireline and then come straight back to the Air Base to reload and do the same thing over again until no longer needed or able to fly. This makes for a fast paced, multitasking environment. All operations are managed with safety as a priority.

Air Attack
The ATGS, or Air Attack, has responsibility of managing the airspace over a fire.  We often call this plane our “eyes in the sky.” With both helicopters and air tankers on a fire, the Air Attack provides a safe and efficient working environment by always knowing where all the aircraft are in relation to each other. This person also looks for and knows where all hazards are. Power lines, cell phone towers, antennas and anything sticking up from the ground are all a danger to pilots when flying low over a fire.

The Air Attack also coordinates air operations with folks on the ground to put the fire retardant and water where they are most needed.  He/she is valuable in helping the crews to access fires faster by locating roads and directing them in remote locations. The Air Attack continually monitors the fire situation and provides valuable information to the ground personnel on what the fire is doing and where it is going. This helps the Incident Commander, who is running the entire fire attack, to make better decisions on where and how to move people and equipment.

The Air Attack is often used to locate fires after lighting storms have passed through the area.  This allows firefighters to catch and put out most fires while they are small and easy to suppress.

Helitack
Twin Falls District Helitack is an initial attack resource, usually sent out at the first report of a fire. The Helitack crew also helps withnon fire missions such as noxious weed eradication, wild horse and cattle counts, as well as some communications missions.  The helitack crew currently consists of 12 people, with potential to increase to 17.  The Helitack fire season begins in June and runs through September, with the crew or individuals regularly traveling off district for fire suppression assignments.
 
The work environment is fast paced and strenuous.  Helitack Crewmembers are mentally strong, physically fit, willing to work hard, and flexible to a rapidly changing working environment. Within any given moment, and within a 10 minute launch requirement, a flight may take the crew to the timber, high desert, or the grass lands, locally or even several states away. On assignment they could find themselves working with the aircraft and  a few other crewmembers, at a large helibase, managing a helispot, working with hand crews and engines, or managing other resources on a large fire.
 

Working in some of the most spectacular country around is the trade off for working long hours on the fire line and eating what can be carried in a backpack. Work is generally available in early spring and into the fall for those who are willing. Off-season tasks include fire area rehabilitation (seeding, fence repair, or tree planting), fuels reduction, habitat improvement, GIS mapping and more.

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South Central Idaho Interagency Dispatch Center
213 West F Street
Shoshone, Idaho 83352
208-886-2373

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