In aerial firefighting circles, it’s recognized that attacking wildfires after dark makes a lot of sense.
As temperatures drop after sunset, relative humidity usually increases and winds tend to die down. Together, these factors increase the odds of success for aerial crews attacking a wildland fire.
“It’s much easier to put it out then. We can make progress instead of just keeping up — and you can make a big impact when the fire is sitting down, or laying low,” Mike May, a provincial aviation specialist in the Wildfire Management Branch at Alberta Forestry and Parks, told Vertical back in June.
Reached in late August, May confirmed that the province of Alberta continues to expand a 2022 pilot program that introduced helicopter nighttime aerial firefighting to the province. In partnership with Richmond, B.C.-based Talon Helicopters, Alberta has been evaluating night vision goggle (NVG) technology for nighttime fire reconnaissance, fire suppression, and crew support/movement.
The initial test ship was Talon’s Airbus AS365 N2 Dauphin night fire attack medium helicopter, equipped with a Simplex 240-US gallon (901-liter) belly tank. That aircraft flew in 2022 and 2023, before it was joined by two more NVG-equipped helicopters for the current 2024 fire season: a Bell 212 medium from Ascent Helicopters in Parksville, B.C., and a Sikorsky S-61 heavy helicopter from Montreal-based Canadian Helicopters.
“It’s working quite well, and we are utilizing our three aircraft considerably on incidents throughout Alberta,” reported May. “Over the coming winter, we plan on assessing the program and nailing down processes and procedures, such as flight following, overnight fuelling, and proper utilization of aircraft.”
While Alberta is pleased with its night helicopter firefighting program so far, he noted the program is in its infancy, and will continue to be refined.
Next door in British Columbia, night vision technology is also being explored by the BC Wildfire Service, on both rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft.
“Since 2019, we have been trialing night vision imaging systems (NVIS), which are integrated cockpit solutions that enhance the pilot’s nighttime vision,” reported Jean Strong, an information officer with BC Wildfire Service. “We have moved NVIS out of trials and into operational function this 2024 wildfire season.”
In B.C., a rotary-wing NVIS unit consists of a contracted night vision-equipped helicopter and certified pilot, as well as a BC Wildfire officer who has been trained as an NVG observer. Strong indicated that several BC Wildfire staff were qualified as NVG observers ahead of the 2024 wildfire season, with more to be trained in the coming months.
This year, nighttime helicopter operations were concentrated on reconnaissance, detection and mapping missions to support firefighters on the ground and in the air.
“It (NVIS) will also be used to support overnight operations, including observation and relaying information on fires, such as fire behavior, movement and any threats to values, which assists crews working at night,” said Strong.
In B.C., as elsewhere, the first priority is protecting communities and frontline firefighting personnel from devastating wildfires. Strong likened night vision imaging to another tool in the wildland firefighting toolbox.
“For effective wildfire management, it takes the collaboration of trusted tools and technologies, as well as an openness to exploring and safely integrating emerging advancements,” she said.
Building resources
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) began transitioning to the Sikorsky S-70i Firehawk — known within the agency as the Cal Fire Hawk — in 2020. Today, the agency operates 13 “Hawks,” all of them equipped for night operations.
“The Firehawks enabled our move to NVGs,” confirmed Linnea Edmeier, aviation communications officer with Cal Fire. “It was just this year that all eight of our 10 helicopter crews on the Firehawk platform were NVG trained.”
This past June, Cal Fire held its biggest night aerial firefighting exercise to date, with eight aircraft flying together over Lake Berryessa in Napa County. Scenarios involved NVG-enabled water drops, navigation and communication, and were designed to hone the skills of pilots and crew members.
“It was the first time we did anything on this scale for night operations,” said Edmeier. “We had agency aircraft and exclusive use contracted aircraft participating in this two-week training exercise. At the end of the last module, we closed it out early because crews went to fly on fires that night.”
She explained that aside from its night flying operations, Cal Fire has enhanced its aviation resources in recent years with the addition of the S-70i helicopters, C-130H Hercules airtankers, intelligence-collecting aircraft, exclusive use contracted aircraft, and uncrewed aerial systems. In total, Cal Fire operates a fleet of more than 60 fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, making it the largest civil aerial firefighting fleet in the world.
By the end of August, Edmeier reported that Cal Fire assets and exclusive use contracted ships had flown close to 240 night flying hours since June 16, dropping 1.8 million US gal (6.8 million L) of water. Cal Fire’s goal is to keep 95 percent of fires confined to 10 acres (40,500 square meters) or less.
She recounted a story about an initial attack NVG helicopter dropping water on fires in early July — their efforts kept the fires small and saved two communities.
“We are having success with these night flying aircraft on both initial attack and major wildland firefighting,” she confirmed. Building on that success, Cal Fire recently brought in another contracted night-capable helicopter.
Edmeier said Cal Fire will take “all the learnings from this fire season” and continue to build out its night operations firefighting program.
“It’s great building something that has found success,” she reflected. “So now, how do we sustain our success? Another thing is, we have the machines, and now we need the people.
How do we keep the people pipeline moving?”
What are some of Cal Fire’s learnings from this pivotal fire season?
Edmeier summed them up: “A lot of it is really about timing in terms of aircraft maintenance, support staff, how to incorporate a night schedule into a day schedule, and all other facets of organized firefighting. The big picture is about how to tie the command center in for flight following. We have to adjust crew hours — if they work until 2 a.m., how does that look? If we need a second crew, maybe some of the helitack bases weren’t designed for two crews. So, it’s about infrastructure and the support around it. These are all important parts of building and supporting a successful program.”
Packing a big punch
Coulson Aviation has seen another busy North American summer of aerial firefighting, including in Southern California.
The British Columbia-based company is the only private entity fighting fires with large helicopters at night, and it has been doing so since 2011.
Its rotary-wing fleet includes the Boeing CH-47 Chinook and Sikorsky S-61, as well as Sikorsky S-76 aerial intelligence aircraft.
Company president and chief operating officer Britt Coulson told Vertical in March that firefighting in general is changing.
“Today, there is no amount of money too great that you can spend on fighting the fire in the first hour. If you don’t get it out quickly, it will cost exponentially more.”
He said that is why large Type 1 helicopters and fixed-wing airtankers are so in demand — because they pack a big punch and they can deliver it fast.
Coulson Aviation’s CH-47 Chinook heavy-lift firefighting helicopter is the world’s largest helitanker. According to the company, it can onboard 3,000 US gal (11,300 L) of water in 90 seconds with its retractable snorkel, allowing for quick returns to the fire line.
“If you hit the fire hard with large assets and ground crew, your likelihood of extinguishing that fire is exponentially higher than if you use a bunch of small assets,” said Coulson.
Over the past year, Coulson Aviation has won a number of contracts, including a $16 million agreement to continue supporting Southern California’s Quick Reaction Force (QRF) throughout 2024, with an option to continue through 2025. The QRF is a wildfire combat program that supports the efforts of Los Angeles, Orange and Venture county fire departments. It operates 24/7/365 and is deployed as soon as a fire is spotted. Coulson told Vertical that 60 percent of QRF flying is done at night.
Under the contract, Coulson Aviation supplies three Chinooks, an S-76 recon helicopter, and pilot/maintenance support.
“One of our standout and high demand capabilities is our night NVG firefighting,” said Coulson. “Our strong nighttime capabilities are the wildfire battle gamechanger for the QRF.”
This past July, Coulson Aviation also announced a 10-year contract to manage, operate and maintain the entire aerial firefighting fleet of the New South Wales Rural Fire Service in Australia, totaling 11 helicopter and fixed-wing assets.
The Canadian company also works alongside the U.S. Forest Service, other Australian states, Chile and Argentina.
The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) itself currently operates two night-capable firefighting aircraft — a fixed-wing air attack platform and one Bell 205 tanked medium helicopter. Both are stationed in Lancaster, California, according to Beau Dobberstein, USFS rotor wing branch chief.
As a party to Southern California’s FIRESCOPE program (Firefighting Resources of California Organized for Potential Emergencies) and its night air operations plan, the USFS has been gaining night helicopter operations experience since 2013. Its single Bell 205 helicopter — which is exclusive to Southern California — is a contracted resource that participates in annual
scenario-based training exercises with state and local government agencies. Currently, the USFS has two helicopter pilots specifically trained for night firefighting operations.
While Dobberstein indicated current budgets do not provide for the acquisition of additional NVG-equipped aircraft, he acknowledged that the agency has generally seen an increase in the use of night aerial firefighting resources. Speaking of lessons learned in the USFS program so far, he highlighted the importance of immediately establishing and maintaining effective aerial supervision within the fire traffic area, to ensure proper aircraft separation. He also said that when the night firefighting program began, one helicopter was tasked with covering day and night shifts. However, in time, the USFS realized it would be more efficient to contract one helicopter for daytime flying and another one for exclusive night use.
“By doing so, the agency has been able to provide an increased focus on training, improve coverage, and solidify schedules for the contractor and agency crews alike,” he wrote in an email to Vertical.
Initially, Dobberstein said ground refilling was the only approved method for night operations.
“With the increase in helicopter types and numbers [working at night], we have adopted hover filling, which accommodates larger helicopters like the CH-47 and expands the areas available for night operations, thus enhancing overall efficiency,” he concluded.
Lessons learned
As firefighting agencies across North America continue to grapple with an ever-increasing number of severe wildfires, the importance of an aggressive initial attack cannot be understated. Going in when a fire is first detected, with as many assets as possible, minimizes the chances of a blaze “getting away” and becoming a much bigger problem. The ability to fight a fire at night, when atmospheric conditions are calmer, can make all the difference.
Within the industry, there is also a trend towards larger firefighting assets — bigger helicopters and airtankers that can fly faster and carry more water or retardant to a fire. Many such aircraft are now joining the night aerial firefighting ranks, bringing a much-needed boost to suppression efforts.
Meanwhile, aerial firefighting agencies are working to adapt their support structures to accommodate NVG-equipped aircraft, adjusting to round-the-clock instead of daytime-only operations. This might necessitate changes in support staffing, flight following, or even physical base locations.
Regardless, ironing out any program wrinkles is well worth the effort when the end result is such a significant gain in firefighting capability.
“If we can work those fires around the clock, I think we could really reduce the number of escaped and catastrophic fires like we’ve seen in recent years,” said Mike May of Alberta Forestry and Parks. “We can lessen the impact of those large events, especially during nights when fires are less active.”
