National Air Attack Exclusive Use Aircraft Large Jet Transport With the expiration of contracts for firefighting helicopters looming, the US Forest Service began the lengthy process of issuing new contracts for 2022 on July 7, 2021 with the posting of a presolicitation. The new concept was based on a one year contract. The Q&A period is a nicety, but rarely ever provides valuable responses to industry. Does a 407 not meet the new requirements? CO Support on all major contract programs (Mobile Food Services, Mobile Showers, Type 2 & 2-IA Crews, Retardant Chemicals), Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) Alternate Focal Point We are all for the push for better equipment for our wildland fire efforts but the USFS cant do the change this suddenly and without any industry input. In addition to just a one year guarantee, there were new requirements for equipment to be added to the aircraft requiring significant additional expenditures for the private companies bidding on the services. on USFS to contract for 48 Type 1 helicopters this year, on Only 403 of requests for Type 1 helicopters were filled on wildfires in 2017, USFS to contract for 48 Type 1 helicopters this year, Only 40% of requests for Type 1 helicopters were filled on wildfires in 2017, U.S. Forest Service had contracted for 34 EU Type 1 ships, revealed that the six helicopters were being cut, does not make an independent recommendation, Lockheed looks ahead to advancing capability in wildland firefighting, Aerial Firefighters Association to promote safety, standards, innovation, Coulson tanker down in Western Australia, pilots okay, Helicopter crash kills 2 in Chilean fires, Prineville, Oregon (BK-1200) Swanson Group Aviation, Helena, Montana (BK-1200) Central Helicopters, Hamilton, Montana (BV-107) Columbia Helicopters, Custer, South Dakota (BV-107) Columbia Helicopters, Lancaster, California (CH-54A) Siller Helicopters, Minden, Nevada (CH-54A) Helicopter Transport Services. In other locations they would just shrug their shoulders and walk away. Too busy feathering their own nests and grade-hopping they couldnt care less about the program at large. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. The agency has posted a second draft of a new Request for Proposals (RFP) and will hold a virtual meeting about the contracts on September 29. The Woodbury Fire overhead were told to let it go, isnt that right, SCC? I would encourage folks to contact their Congressional Representatives (once again) about problems with government contracting for fire-fighting aircraft. All perpetuated by the Gov. The Governor's proposed budget for the following fiscal year beginning July 1, 2022 includes exclusive use contract funding over the next three years for 10 Type 1 helicopters, but that. Im waiting for airbags..oh no, wait, they have an explosive charge generator so youll need the whole hazmat approval, and track the squib date to have that particular safety device. Bush fire, Heavy IA and A/C response, not much daylight left when start was dispatched. Other helicopters may or may not be procured on a Call When Needed (CWN) contract. Not the news we all are hearing. hb``e``c```Y The USFS cooperates with CAL FIRE, US Department of Interior agencies Bureau of. The banker looks at your household income and job stability. Try to pass on the cost of newer, more expensive equipment in less than 10 years, than the operator fails on the LPTA front b/c his day rate will be too high. Kinda like the air tankers. Oh and theres a reason for the price difference, all the vendors you see with blackhawks have restricted category aircraft. If a vendor doesnt like the requirements, they can choose not to submit a proposal. The EC135/145 have potential, but at what cost? You FS boys need to stop trying to blame the messenger and take the feedback from industry to heart. Fire Cacheis asupply of fire tools and equipment assembled in planned quantities or standard units at a strategic point for exclusive use in fire suppression. Thats rarely happened before b/c a) its a lot of $$$ and b) the states also believed that they would get aerial resources when needed, but they got burned by that hope, literallyyou may think you can grab it, but think again in tough times.State will think about State first before sharing the resource.it will get more interesting when France, Spain, Greece and Turkey take these assetssleep well FSyou guys are managing the LATs and Type 1s welltheyll always be there for you.keep up the good workwell done. For an operator to be competitive in the LPTA world, you need to amortize the cost of the a/c over 10 years or more. Office: (208) 387-5695 Mobile: (208) 860-7334 Office: (208) 387-5665 Mobile: (208) 616-5549, NIFC Operations Support To request access to this page, submit request to, Forest Service Acquisition Management Incident Procurement, Solicitations on Federal Business Opportunities, Flight Rate Charts Effective February 16, 2021for contracts awarded 2013-2017, Flight Rate Charts Effective February 16, 2021 for contracts awarded 2018-2021, Crews Type 2 IA, Standard Form 1449, 2022 Summary, National Type 2-IA Crew COR Designation Letter, National Type 2-IA Crew Performance Evaluation, Type 2 Crew Generic Agreement 1202SC21Q0001, 2020 COVID-19 Modification for Mobile Shower Facilities, Mobile Shower Performance Evaluation Form, 2020 COVID-19 Modification for Mobile Food Services, Retardant Contractor Performance Evaluation Form, Retardant Contracts COR Designation Letters, National Mobile Shower COR Designation Letter, National Long Term Fire Retardant Contract. Thank you. Here is an excerpt from the Washington Post, February 9, 2016: On Tuesday, the International Institute for Strategic Studies released its Military Balance 2016 report, which seeks to examine closely the changing nature of military power. The agency felt the surge helicopters were necessary to mitigate a possible decrease in the effectiveness or numbers of their ground forces engine and hand crews. The three-day operation used a helicopter and high powered rifles to take out the cows in a rugged area where federal officials and environmentalists say the animals have been trampling stream banks, damaging habitat for other species and ruining water quality. That has to come from Congress to the FS and DOI Chiefs, and then down to them. usfs type 1 helicopter contracts 2021 forest service contracts usfs type 3 helicopter contracts 2020 usfs type 1 helicopter contracts 2020 interagency call when needed helicopter contract usfs call when needed contracts usfs type 3 helicopter contracts 2021 A quick direction on editing National Exclusive Use Airtanker Service Contract Online 6-month Exclusive Use (EU) contract extensions for 34 Type 2 helicopters with contracts expiring in 2022, utilizing BOAs for remaining EU line items. Smokejumperstravel all over the country, including Alaska, to provide highly-trained, experienced firefighters and leadership for quick initial attack on wildland fires in remote areas. Each bucket has a release valve on the bottom controlled by the helicopter crew. Woodbury, Bush, and other fires)., As sharedThe Tonto NF blatantly cancelled requests for aggressive initial attack on the Woodbury Fire., I think the Forest Service has zero comprehension of the new breed of forensic fire weather folks quietly documenting all these actionsI hope they understand many savvy folks are watching in prior years and they will continue to do so, Me. Boise, Idaho 83705-5354 'KD,.QQD IIuY#\>y(Hd Tj4B%0qz8Qa. These contracts require continuous availability throughout the mandatory availability period, which can be 180 days or more. The USFS intends to make parent awards Summer/Fall 2022, with task orders being competed/awarded after parent awards. In 2016 the FS hired 34 Type 1 helicopters but starting in 2017 reduced the number to 28. Aviation for Regions 3,4,6,8 Steve Peterson, Contracting Officer When I feel less crappy and can give this the focused attention I will write more. The idea of one year contracts is just one characteristic of a contracting process that lacks experience, maturity and common sense. Fax: (208) 387-5384, https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/fire/contracting, Important Information Regarding the COVID-19 Pandemic, Access to the U.S. Forest Service Contracting, Incident Support Branch, DOI SharePoint Page must be granted individually. The following links are provided for Interagency Fire Professionals who are tasked with administering contracts issued by our Unit and is provided solely for that purpose and intent. I think you answered your own question with why are they only replacing type II and III legacy platforms and not type I? What you all have put out leaves these folks in harms way.you guys ok with that on your souls. Lots more. Federal Contract Opportunity for National Exclusive-Use Type 1 and Type 2 Helicopter Modernization SN-2021-01. NICC is the sole source for large transport aircraft holding 14 CFR Part 121 Certificates and for Type 1 and 2 Call-When-Needed (CWN) Helicopters. USFS Aviation Safety Center FAA Safety Program(SPANS) FAA Risk Management Handbook Aviation Mishap Response Guide(2021) Unmanned Aircraft Systems Agency Guides/Manuals BLM Aviation Library USFS Aviation Library Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations EIS Aerial Retardant Application Information Aerial Application of Fire Retardant Air Navigation Pratt & Whitney Engine Maintenance. Just curious on what you think would have made the difference as the Initial Attack IC? %PDF-1.6 % Putting more undue pressure on vendors to meet their misunderstanding of both FW and RW aviation. Erickson wins three USFS 2021 fire contracts 5-Apr-2021 Source: Erickson Erickson Incorporated, a worldwide leading operator, maintainer, and manufacturer of utility aircraft, announces three new USFS Firefighting contracts for the upcoming 2021 wildfire season. But you better pay for it, USFS says! OAS-64A Interagency Airplane Pilot Evaluation Application Form, OAS-64BInteragency Helicopter Pilot Evaluation Application Form, 5700-20Airplane Pilot Qualifications and Approval Record, 5700-20aHelicopter Pilot Evaluation Application, Cost Comparison Travel Worksheet(FS 5700-11), Flight Request Justification Approval Administrative Use Aircraft Form (AUA-1), National and Regional Report of Annual Administrative Flight Use (AUA-2), 2021,2020,2019,2018,2017,2016,2015,2014,2013,2012, Amphibious Water Scooper Aircraft Operations Plan, Administrative Use of Aircraft Desk Reference, Airworthiness Assurance Guide for Aerial Firefighting &Natural Resources Aircraft, Aviation Management Handbook - FSH 5709.16, C-23B+/SD3-60 Aircraft Change Management Implementation Plan, Federal Excess Personal Property Guide(11/05/2021), Fire Imaging and Mapping Guide (coming soon), Forest Service Standards for Airtanker Operations 2022, Forest Service Standards for Short-Haul Operations (January 2022), Forest Service Standards for UAS Operations, National Aviation Safety and Management Plan, (2022 - 2023), National Aviation Safety Management System Guide, National Rappel Operations Guide,(2019 Approval Letter), National Type I and Type II Exclusive Use Helicopter Operations Plan, Working Capital Fund Aircraft Users Guide, Basic Weather Information on Manifests and Use of Belt Weather Kits (IATB 2015-02), Clarification of the HOGE Power Check requirement(IATB 17-01), Airtanker Base Directory (Located on the Fire Enterprise Geospatial Portal), DOT Special Permit Authorization 9198 Forest Service DOT SP-9198 Grantee Letter, Emergency Helicopter Extraction Source List, Guide to Preventing Aquatic Invasive Species Transport by Wildland Fire Operations, Interagency Airplane Pilot Practical Test Standards 2012 (Revision 2.0), Interagency Aviation Life Support Equipment Guide 2021, Interagency Helicopter Pilot Practical Test Standards 2015, Interagency Smokejumper Pilot Operations Guide, ISMOG Forest Service Section Forest Service National Smokejumper Training Guide, National Aviation Safety Management System (NASMS) Guide, NWCG Aviation Mishap Response Guide and Checklist, NWCGStandards for Airtanker Base Operations, NWCGStandards for Aviation Transport of Hazardous Materials, RAM-Air Parachute Training Guide Forest Service RAM-Air Canopy Evaluation Plan, Standards for Fire and Aviation Operations (Red Book), https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/fire/aviation/publications, Guide to Preventing Aquatic Invasive Species Transport by Wildland Fire Operati, Flight Request Justification Approval Administrative Use Aircraft Form, National and Regional Report of Annual Administrative Flight Use, Forest Service Standards for Short-Haul Operations, National Aviation Safety and Management Plan, Basic Weather Information on Manifests and Use of Belt Weather Kits, Clarification of the HOGE Power Check requirement, Forest Service DOT SP-9198 Grantee Letter, Forest Service National Smokejumper Training Guide, Forest Service RAM-Air Canopy Evaluation Plan, Standards for Fire and Aviation Operations, U.S. Forest Service and Interagency Aviation Publications. helicopter services hourly flight rates, fuel consumption, and weight reduction chart effective february 16, 2019 for contracts awarded 2018-2021 (cwn/exclusive use) Your last sentence in the nail in the coffin.seeing as that this contract will be LPTA and a year to year option, how do you finance a new a/c that will surely be $2-$4M on the low end? Imagine that. This is in line with the 2012 Airtanker Modernization Strategy. Woodbury was in 2019. usfs type 1 helicopter contracts 2022. fort collins real estate investors. Some helitack crews are trained to rappel from helicopters to fires in remote locations. Maybe all of the experienced aviation folks you mention are part of this have never actually had to buy a multi-million a/c, maintain it, crew it and ensure that its safely operable? A CWN aircraft could be tied up on something else or undergoing heavy maintenance when the phone in the office rings asking if they can respond to a fire. 34 0 obj <>stream The U.S. Forest Service had estimated there were as many as 150 of the . Aviation for Regions 1, 2, & 9, 10 Type 1 helicopters are the largest used on fires, carrying 700 to 2,800 gallons. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Even if a vendor received a guaranteed five-year contract it can be difficult to establish and implement a long-term business plan that would make sense to their banker and the solvency of the company. With a defense budget of around $597 billion, it was almost as much as the next 14 countries put together and far larger than the rest of the world. The U.S. Forest Service, the agency responsible for awarding federal contracts for large air tankers and firefighting helicopters, is proposing a number of very significant changes to the helicopter contracts. Phone: (208) 387-5670 Companies like Construction Helicopters are even putting together S-61 ships and crews for Afghanistan. As a former helitacker I know we were always looking forward to moving to a more modern helicopter fleet. Why are only Types III and II legacy helicopters being phased out? Have you sir watched or measured the burn scars to see how many miles apart the fires were on the Bush or any of the fires from last Seasonyou will find the distance between the fire on the ground quite interesting that using the word escape would fail to be a suitable word for the Bush Fire or other fires. The administrative bases of the helicopters will be at 48 locations. It seems nothing is making sense anymore, and we are destined to fail if this shortsightedness is allowed to continue. As a former FS aviator I can confidently say that every single FS Aviation Officer from the WO to the ROs needs to be fired or reassigned. The partners to the USFS are all moving that direction with their purchases of Firehawks. Enter your email address to subscribe and receive notifications of new posts by email. But look on the bright side the SMEs will feel like they are back in the military! What can replicate the performance of a UH-1H with a -703 as a bucket bird? FS is gonna end up with a heavy National Guard helicopter fleet next year. Helicopters also deliver firefighting crews called helitack crews to fires for initial attack. So this all begs a question maybe how do we bridge the gap here? 2023 us forest service airtankers - schedule of items (mar 1, 2023) next generation airtankers 2.0 At least two CL-415s were removed from USFS contracts and placed on a state contract this year too. What light twin replaces a 407? They are proposing to increase the dollars spent on Defense by $165 billion. Its logical that the USFS move to a more modern helicopter fleet. Just another site. In each case, only the first year is guaranteed. The FS requirements are out of synch with the financial obligations of the companies they want to hire. With this new one-year contract policy, obtaining those funds could be even more difficult. They are all tied to contractors in the business. Carson said the hell with the USFS, more money servicing the war machine in Afghanistan. Such costs could be spread out over the period of the contract. They almost seem to be writing rules to make the use of Firefighting Aircraft, impossible . Its driving us away from government work and Im truly worried about the availability of rotor assets next year if they end up going through with this wish list RFP. Doing business with the feds is not for the faint of heart. What do you do with an expensive asset like a helo when youre only customer suggests to just not submit? What will replace a 407 for a Type III ship? October 27, 2021 Forest Service Response: The USFS recognizes the importance of safety recommendation A-10-168 and continues to refine Flight Data Monitoring requirements. FAA Temp Tower Agreement - Western Service Area (2019-24) SAFECOMs. National Call-When-NeededHelicopters (Large Fire Support/Initial Attack)Flight Rate Charts Effective February 16, 2021for contracts awarded 2013-2017Flight Rate Charts Effective February 16, 2021 for contracts awarded 2018-2021Region 5 Aviation Much of the defense budget is spent in countries on the other side of the world. Rest assured the FS are aware of the concerns from industry, but everyone needs to realize that the FS is the customer. These large helicopters are beloved by wildland firefighters, since they can strategically drop with pinpoint accuracy thousands of gallons of water or retardant while working close air support with ground personnel. usfs type 1 helicopter contracts 2021. The NWCG Standards for Wildland Fire Resource Typing establishes minimum typing standards for aircraft, crews, and equipment for national mobilization to wildland fire incidents. _A KWS ranger learning to identify individual elephants. The U.S. Forest Service (FS) is expecting to contract for 48 Type 1 helicopters for the 2021 wildfire season. 25 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/ID[<4B96358E361BA0CE76F6294DEFAC0978>]/Index[10 25]/Info 9 0 R/Length 79/Prev 92044/Root 11 0 R/Size 35/Type/XRef/W[1 2 1]>>stream Photo by Bill Gabbert. Melinda Draper, Associate Branch Chief, Logistics, The S-70 could work but again, at what cost? Click here. There is no cost, and in case you change your mind each email has an unsubscribe button. Buying a/c is a lot like buying a house. I think stating more aggressive firing operations is suitable for the Bush Fire, right- sir? 3833 S. Development Avenue To request access to this page, submit request to FS-FS AQM ISB. Meanwhile, the defense of our Homeland gets cut. Our suggestion is to prioritize the defense and protection of our citizens, homeland, forests, parks, grasslands, refuges, prairies, and wildlands FIRST, before considering spending trillions on the other side of the world. I find it interesting that the WFT crowd is pro a next gen, advanced air tanker fleet (including the funding required) but is up in arms about a next gen, advanced helicopter fleet. Have a fire aviation news tip? Basic Ordering Agreements (BOAs) for 28 - Type 1 helicopters having 120-day mandatory availability periods. For an operator to be competitive in the LPTA world, you need to amortize the cost of the a/c over 10 years or more. National Maintenance Agreement, Robert Hoffman,Contracting Officer Thats my Commo unit helibase pictured in the photo, and yes we were required to have a PA system to yell at the fire Certainly valid concerns regarding the quantity of helicopters to transition and timeline. It is very different from putting out an RFQ for an item that a company bids on based on their own estimation of costs that will meet the specification, where nothing has yet been manufactured and nobody really knows what things will cost until they research the bid spec. Aerial SupervisionModule(Lead Planes) Like in 2020, this solicitation has the unusual provision of limiting the 20 surge contracts to the participants of the existing Forest Service Type 1 Basic Ordering Agreement. Unmanned Aerial Supervision(UAS) Program, Delphine Arizana, Contract Specialist What about the forty plus miles along the highway- was that part of the aggressive initial attack or the aggressive firing operations? endstream endobj 14 0 obj <>stream ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Vendors do not drive the requirements the customer does. Then why are one year contracts with optional years considered a sustainable way for helicopter companies to provide helicopters for fire fighting? One of our readers whose company has been providing helicopters on the previous contracts has some opinions about the changes the Forest Service is pushing. On a grand scale, the report showed yet again that U.S. military spending easily dwarfed the rest of the world. These are the largest helicopters used for fighting wildland fires in the United States and can carry between 700 and 3,000 gallons of water. In addition, the federal land management agencies said last year they were going to limit the number of less-than-full-suppression fires and attack new ignitions aggressively. Im not convinced that either trying to do an abrupt transition is appropriate NOR is standing still while other more modern aircraft are available. Yes, the customer is the FS. These are the largest helicopters used for fighting wildland fires in the United States and can carry between 700 and 3,000 gallons of water. In 2018 when the Forest Service began issuing one-year contracts for air tankers we wrote: Few if any vendors can simply write a check to purchase and convert an air tanker, so they have to convince a lender to give them large sums of money usually even before they have a contract with the USFS. National Exclusive Use Helicopters (Large Fire Support/Initial Attack) Here is what they wrote. crosby, tx police . Mulcher / Masticator - Boom Mounted Checklist, U.S. Forest Service, Contracting 3. Ignoring the facts of what that aircraft can actually carry, not what the vendor claims. The beauty of a free country. I know we arent alone in how upset we are with the Forest Service right now. The Surge helicopters will be available for a 120-day contract availability period, beginning June 1, 2021 (except for the Santa Fe Surge). LGBT Themes. All the experienced aviation folks leading the latest helo RFP need to know that what youre proposing will lead to less a/c and more accidents/deaths. 2021. The what, why and where of this story seems like it warrants additional reporting. There are certainly concerns with moving to a twin engine platform related to performance, and Im not currently versed enough in all of the platforms to have an opinion, but I do know that this article doesnt address it and instead seems to be a sounding board for industry without presenting the case for increased firefighter safety and performance in modern aircraft. Typos, let us know, and please keep in mind the commenting ground rules before you post a comment. Bill wrote 3 sentences without even putting his opinion in, the overwhelming response is that the only people happy or satisfied with this RFP are the people who wrote it. A lock ( While Im sure you and the FS believe that all the operators swim in pool fulls of cash and take $$$$millions home every year, that fact of the matter is that Mother Nature and worsening Contracts just dont allow that to happen, so no one can ever just pay for a new a/c with cash from operations. These helicopters are the largest that are used for fighting wildfires and can carry between 700 and 3,000 gallons of water or fire retardant. What happens when they implement it towards Type Is? Along with Monitormonkey from above. have no assurance they will garner any sort of benefit for their effort. Candidates include the Bell 429, Airbus/Eurocopter H135 or H145 or other light twins on the market. They never seem to be logical ! Basic Equipment Requirements: Each piece of equipment has a minimum required equipment inventory that must be on the equipment at the time of hire. Official websites use .gov Oh, and dont glance over the cockpit camera, which they want even on restricted category bucket ships. Office: (208) 387-5252 Mobile: (208) 866-0417
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