usfs type 1 helicopter contracts 2021

Moving to 10-year contracts for firefighting aircraft was mentioned several times in an April 15 hearing before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, featuring U.S. Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen and her testimony. Modular AirborneFirefighting System (MAFFS) Mechanics 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 Ignoring the facts of what that aircraft can actually carry, not what the vendor claims. Well said Maghreb.sadly, doing so would guarantee financial disaster/bankruptcy for the industry while also ensuring that the country and its citizens in fire prone states would be without helos for many more years than just one season.I do love the idea as it would send a message for suremaybe a few calls to the White House make sense here? Maybe they could have figured out a better transition, maybe not. Office: (208) 387-5279 Mobile: (208) 608-6763, Typos, let us know, and please keep in mind the commenting ground rules before you post a comment. A series of water drops can enable hand crews to make steady progress on active flanks of the fire. crosby, tx police . Above: N137BH, a Sikorsky70A or Firehawk helicopter, flies to refill its water bucket after dropping on the Rankin Fire in South Dakota September 13, 2017. I may be incorrect in this, but I think the less than excited response from industry is based on them providing questions and input to the PM, HS and CO and getting pretty unsatisfactory responses. U.S. Forest Service and Interagency Aviation Publications Forest Service and interagency publications are the primary vehicles by which Forest Service and Interagency policy and standards are transmitted. All perpetuated by the Gov. I may be incorrect in this, but I think the less than excited response from industry is based on them providing questions and input to the PM, HS and CO and getting pretty unsatisfactory responses. A lock ( That has to come from Congress to the FS and DOI Chiefs, and then down to them. Typos, let us know, and please keep in mind the commenting ground rules before you post a comment. Last year the U.S. Forest Service reduced the number of Type 1 ships by 18%. It just will. They are proposing to increase the dollars spent on Defense by $165 billion. It has been lightly edited. Smokejumper Aircraft Fire fighting tools, food and water are dropped by parachute to the firefighters after they land near the firemaking them self-sufficient for the first 48 hours. 6-month Exclusive Use (EU) contract extensions for 34 Type 2 helicopters with contracts expiring in 2022, utilizing BOAs for remaining EU line items. Cell phone gps location, sat phones and ADSB are far more useful. Video of two Type 1 helicopters reloading with retardant, 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. Please help us improve by taking a few moments to complete our voluntary USFS Fire Industry feedback form. https://www.kelly.senate.gov/, I think many of us do understand the contracting world and the pages put out by the head shed. Id guess many of them follow your websites, but if not and you have access to them, it would be good to alert them to the commentary here on this pageif anyone else feels strongly negative about this, chime in!! No wonder there is absolutely no concern about the financial impact of this proposal. The banker looks at your household income and job stability. 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. 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. . The Contracting office doesnt make the requirements or evaluation criteria in the solicitation, that is the responsibility of the program office..PERIOD ! The FS will still have the 28 exclusive use Type 1 ships; the additional 20 will serve a mandatory availability period of 120 days, with a possible option for another 30 if the FS determines a need. 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. helicopter services hourly flight rates, fuel consumption, and weight reduction chart effective . 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. So this all begs a question maybe how do we bridge the gap here? In 2016 the FS hired 34 Type 1 helicopters but starting in 2017 reduced the number to 28. IBC's Acquisition Services Directorate (AQD) is responsible for the acquisition of a full suite of commercial aviation services supporting each bureau in the Department of the Interior, as well as many external customers. Too busy feathering their own nests and grade-hopping they couldnt care less about the program at large. Enter your email address to subscribe and receive notifications of new posts by email. Instead of a quick turn around of a week after the invoice closes- the new payment procedure has us waiting the full 30 days. The obvious answer is same thing the US Military replaced the Hueys with, the Blackhawk. If the income is lower and lower due to LPTA and the job security is year to year with no guarantee, most lenders will tell you to try another house to mortgage your house. You FS boys need to stop trying to blame the messenger and take the feedback from industry to heart. There is no cost, and in case you change your mind each email has an unsubscribe button. Dont blame industry for adding on BS items like loudspeakersFS wants it? 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. Search: Hotshot Companies Hiring. Hows about an STC for personal electronic devices, only available from one company, nobody else in the industry even knows what the hell the STC is or is for! Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) Focal Point, Mike McFarlane,Contracting Officer U.S. Forest Service employees (Forest Service Internal Link), U.S. Department of Interior (DOI Internal Link). From completely unacceptable accident rates to corrupt hiring decisions and horrendously abysmal contracting they are all utter and complete failures. Candidates include the Bell 429, Airbus/Eurocopter H135 or H145 or other light twins on the market. National Maintenance Agreement, Robert Hoffman,Contracting Officer We cant go to the bank with a one-year contract to finance airplanes. Official websites use .gov Helicopters cost pennies in comparison if you need to cancel them (or nothing if they dont even get off the ground!). Photo by Bill Gabbert. Well, maybe in some locations. Senator Mark Kelly may be interested in hearing comments about FS & DOI aircraft contracting: Its unimaginable that they have created a situation where its likely there will not be a sustainable source for fire aircraft. Daniels Electronics (Public Safety Communications Products, Services and Solutions) PADD20221183. Other candidates would be the 412, and the other twin engine mediums on the market from AW and Airbus/Eurocopter. Thats my Commo unit helibase pictured in the photo, and yes we were required to have a PA system to yell at the fire The FS would gladly issue multi-year contracts (vs. base year + options). Much of the defense budget is spent in countries on the other side of the world. The ICP may be co-located with the incident base or other incident facilities and provides certain essential auxiliary forms of support, such as food, sleeping areas, equipment, trailers,and sanitation. Basic Ordering Agreements (BOAs) for 28 - Type 1 helicopters having 120-day mandatory availability periods. The Woodbury Fire overhead were told to let it go, isnt that right, SCC? usfs type 1 helicopter contracts 2021. by | Jun 10, 2022 | flores para iglesia matrimonio | poway high school bell schedule 2021 | Jun 10, 2022 | flores para iglesia matrimonio | poway high school bell schedule 2021 A fixed wing air tanker that has to refill at an airport takes much longer. This is in line with the 2012 Airtanker Modernization Strategy. 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. & _d0E]e%j6;L*>{c/}*l!nxOV3--kS~4AUI~i,:(-D6+8'd&+'Xucj=e r%9qCz'lEf}\5{%r |G~]~&Bg1">8_=567s~ 8+u5#1b& +2 Have a fire aviation news tip? The USFS cooperates with CAL FIRE, US Department of Interior agencies Bureau of. Welcome to the Nation's Logistical Support Center | National . Im not convinced that either trying to do an abrupt transition is appropriate NOR is standing still while other more modern aircraft are available. Given the current climate of helicopter contracts there will be more people getting out of helicopters than getting into them. Unmanned Aerial Supervision(UAS) Program, Delphine Arizana, Contract Specialist Everyone agrees that the military needs to be adequately funded, but in 2016 the amount the U.S. spent on defense was almost equal to what the next 14 countries combined spent. Some of these folks need to spend 20+ yrs like some us did in the aviation maintenance and everyday flying to expend this much energy to get vendors spooled up and then say there is not enough time. Aerial SupervisionModule(Lead Planes) Call-When-Needed (CWN) Airtankers 2.1 Carson said the hell with the USFS, more money servicing the war machine in Afghanistan. What type of copters are under contract for Colorado? Aircraft Type: DC-10. One big caveat to last year is that there will be ZERO dedicated HLCO platforms available as there were last year. Puuuullleeezethe Agency surely has gotten a response. Aviation for Regions 1, 2, & 9, 10 The difference is there are very few air tankers compared to helicopters on EU and CWN contracts. Provides support to both the Aviation and Logistics Branch Chiefs What a crock of crap! The FS is a sinking ship by every measurable metric and the aircraft contracting department is clearly no exception. The beauty of a free country. Hows about an STC for personal electronic devices, only available from one company, nobody else in the industry even knows what the hell the STC is or is for! The intent of the USFS for acquiring helicopter services for 2022 is as follows: 1. The companies willing to make adjustments will do just that and end up with contracts. Well, maybe in some locations. PAY the vendor to include the STCs, FAA 337s, time the office folks have to catch up on the logbooksOnce again the Agency simply does not know what it takes to run a fleet of helicopters at the vendor level. National Exclusive Use Helicopters (Large Fire Support/Initial Attack) I think stating more aggressive firing operations is suitable for the Bush Fire, right- sir? The FS contracting office posted more than a dozen versions of the presolicitation between July 7 and December 6. As a former helitacker I know we were always looking forward to moving to a more modern helicopter fleet. I will say this There is no cost, and in case you change your mind each email has an unsubscribe button. 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 U.S. Forest Service (FS) is expecting to contract for 48 Type 1 helicopters for the 2021 wildfire season. But you better pay for it, USFS says! Your last sentence is the 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? We all understand that. We operate Type III helicopters and are now faced with 40+ pounds of equipment (costing over $60k per aircraft) to meet minimum requirements things that we really dont need like a Traffic Avoidance System (but the ADS-B they required last year isnt good enough) and a loudspeaker (because yelling at the fire helps?). helicopter services hourly flight rates, fuel consumption, and weight reduction chart effective february 16, 2019 for contracts awarded 2018-2021 (cwn/exclusive use) What you all have put out leaves these folks in harms way.you guys ok with that on your souls. In other locations they would just shrug their shoulders and walk away. Helicopters can often refill with water from a nearby lake or tank, making 5 to 15 minute turnarounds. Office: (208) 387-5670 Mobile: (208) 616-5547 Cradlepoint, Inc. (Data Communications Products & Services) PADD20210466. Putting more undue pressure on vendors to meet their misunderstanding of both FW and RW aviation. There is no cost, and in case you change your mind each email has an unsubscribe button. 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. For type 3 helos it may be possible, providing the USFS can double the budget because thats what vendors are going to bid for a new aircraft with higher maintenance cost and complexity, additionally operating hot and high im sure the load charts are going to have to be quite conservative to ensure OEI is landing safely and not just crashing slower, Everything has to be in balance, you cant spend unlimited money, and you cant eliminate all risk, the safest and most inexpensive helicopter is one that sits on the ground. 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. Examples include an ax or pulaski, tire chains, 5-person first aid kit, and rollover protection. Publications include manuals, handbooks, standards, guides, plans, and other documents. Y63 u3e11iQfkbKT?cx6Yi>#/@ G6 Well not quite, imho. 64 2021 National Interagency Mobilization Guide . The fleet remained at that level until the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020 when they added an additional 22 ships for a total of 50. Aviation for Regions 3,4,6,8 Its logical that the USFS move to a more modern helicopter fleet. Once we get all of that figured out, turns out that the increase in performance specifications at 7,000 / 30C combined with the added equipment pretty much eliminates legacy ships from meeting performance requirements. Yes, the customer is the FS. 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? 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. Financing a new (2000+) aircraft with a one year contract will be the nail in the coffin for most operators considering what they have to sell will get pennies on the dollar. We live near Custer S.D. CONTRACTING FOR FIRE. The schedule calls for most of them to begin in April and May. Air Tanker 163, an RJ 85, at Rapid City December 12, 2017. Due Nov 16, 2020. Type IIs? Companies like Construction Helicopters are even putting together S-61 ships and crews for Afghanistan. Response from industry-leading? The Agencys incompetence and self sabotage never fails to amaze. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. DOI/OAS & Interagency Aviation Bulletins. Smokejumper STC Vendors reserve the right to refuse service to the customer that is rude, arrogant and disrespectful. They are all tied to contractors in the business. DO NOT listen to your bosses, DO THE RIGHT thing and pull this RFP back and get it rightMILLIONS of U.S. citizens are expecting that you will. TheAirtanker Modernization Strategydoes not make an independent recommendation on the number of helicopters or air tankers that are needed. He replied: The existing Call When Needed (CWN) Basic Ordering Agreement (BOA) will be utilized for both Type 1 and Type 2 CWN helicopters. The FS doesnt seem to trust the input from the industry on this, so maybe the FS should ask the people who provide the mortgage? National Interagency Fire Center Region 6 Cache Freight Services, Bryce Pitchford,Contracting Officer One has to write to the audience who butters their bread! I think the word escape needs to be looked at a little deeperthat is what I do as a housewife hiker. In each case, only the first year is guaranteed. 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. Air resources were cancelled at the Forest level, isnt that correct? I would be interested to see more reporting on why the USFS is making this transition now and how they made the decisions. 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. 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. HMS8:A[>!Leq`dXfgo$av`w*ldevq7mXm`F,s}PA.?|ZA[7lY7z rCXB:Y;M7\c>]-kFt^j1_>ey)4?haGUEX5M7IW? xt*9b`w,$$B.vc&8Hx.Yjf9N3 |B^gW?.n}tZ8 Buying a/c is a lot like buying a house. usfs type 1 helicopter contracts 2021 Pratt & Whitney Engine Maintenance. How the five and ten year contracts youre looking at will affect us and benefit us and what we need to put into our budget to so that the Forest Service has the necessary equipment to address these wildfires?, We are studying the question about going to a 10-year contract, what the pros and cons are, Chief Christiansen said. Were nearly complete with that report. Type 1 helicopters are the largest used on fires, carrying 700 to 2,800 gallons. Faintly, what are the advertisement you see posted on this site? Great response, fellas. 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. Does anyone smell a red herring or see a strawman waving his arms? The fleet remained at that level until the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020 when they added an additional 22 ships for a total of 50. Chief Pilot for the USFS, Abraham Fandrich, retires, Ride with a single engine air tanker as it drops near Borger, Texas, 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. Maybe in talking to a 3rd party lender the FS would learn more about these challenges that industry is facing due to the well intended, but poorly delivered solicitation requirements? So given these facts, what do you think they are trying to achieve in ultimately reducing the number of a/c in a time when we need more of them? 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. Then why are one year contracts with optional years considered a sustainable way for helicopter companies to provide helicopters for fire fighting? The second highest was 46 percent in 2012. A quick peruse through that Q&A shows that dozens of operators really gasped when this RFP came out. Melinda Draper, Associate Branch Chief, Logistics, Guess what those choppers wont have cockpit cameras or loudspeakers or TAS. 5 more pack tests and Im done. Nope. 34 0 obj <>stream _A KWS ranger learning to identify individual elephants. National Air Attack Exclusive Use Aircraft These devices have their place but has any downed firefighting aircraft actually been located by one? LockA locked padlock Fire managers recognized the value of helicopters to rapidly transport personnel and cargo to a fire, especially in remote locations. Bill is pandering to advertisers and we here at FS have so much knowledge we cant be wrong. Interested vendors must get their offers to the FS by March 3, 2021. Each year, DNR works ahead of the fire season to improve its access to professional equipment and services for fire suppression. Helicopters were first used on wildfires in 1947. Give me a break. Chinas new amphibious air tanker conducts ground test of water drop system, More rotor wing help arrives in California, 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. . It is a wonderful day that the good Lord provided for us allright. As I indicated, Im very interested in more reporting on this from the customer side of the table, IE the USFS as well as industry. Interested vendors must get their offers to the FS by March 3, 2021. The agreements and contracts you are about to view have been established for government aviation users whose agencies have formal agreements with DOI, Interior Business Center, Acquisitions Services Directorate (AQD) and are authorized to order services from those agreements and contracts. The administrative bases of the helicopters will be at 48 locations. The single vs twin vs safety argument doesnt have a clear winner unless youre talking about CAT A capable aircraft. Each time I go to sleep, wondering will I awake? Obviously another FS fella here. Several vendors opted for EU contracts with states instead of the USFS. If a vendor doesnt like the requirements, they can choose not to submit a proposal. february 16, 2021 for contracts awarded 2018-2021 (cwn/exclusive use) (for contracts awarded 1/1/2018 and after) company aircraft type fuel consumption (gal/hr) february 16, 2021 hourly flight rate ($/hr) In my lifetime, I will not see the beauty I once hiked. Very Large Airtankers (VLAT)are capable of delivering over 8,000 gallons of fire retardant to support firefighters on the ground. What is your source on zero HLCO platforms? Chapter 1 Federal Wildland Fire Management Policy and. 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.