I would encourage folks to contact their Congressional Representatives (once again) about problems with government contracting for fire-fighting aircraft. Interested vendors must get their offers to the FS by March 3, 2021. These devices have their place but has any downed firefighting aircraft actually been located by one? 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. 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. Well not quite, imho. Its killing aviators, driving people from the agency and putting our only vendors/partners in impossible positions. So do we get balanced journalism here. Posted by the Forest Service (USDA) . A 212 is a twin, performs better than a 412 is all aspects but is a little older and only has two blades. If you knew just one thing about contracting it may help. You FS boys need to stop trying to blame the messenger and take the feedback from industry to heart. The number of requests for Type 1 helicopters was close to average, but the number of orders that were Unable To be Filled (UTF) was almost double the number of filled orders. A!ican Elephant. Oh, and dont glance over the cockpit camera, which they want even on restricted category bucket ships. Type 1 helicopters are the largest, fastest flying and the most expensive helicopters used on wildland fires. The what, why and where of this story seems like it warrants additional reporting. Bill is pandering to advertisers and we here at FS have so much knowledge we cant be wrong. I believe the FS had about 6-9 nationally funded HLCO platforms in order to provide aerial supervision to these surge aircraft but this year? Other candidates would be the 412, and the other twin engine mediums on the market from AW and Airbus/Eurocopter. Obviously another FS fella here. Forest Service contracted Type 1 helicopters are a strategic National Resource, contracted to support the national firefighting effort. It is a wonderful day that the good Lord provided for us allright. Official websites use .gov 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? I think there is a better way to handle each Fire Season. The BOA will be used as noted for both Exclusive Use (EU) and CWN Type 1 contracts in 2022. while simultaneously saying that they fully intend on moving to modern helicopters that are built after the year 2000 and are all twin engine. 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. Interested vendors must get their offers to the FS by March 3, 2021. Todd more well informed insight here. Click here. SD3-60 Sherpas;Avionics; Maintenance sparked by a US Forest Service prescribed burn is the state's largest wildfire. Have a fire aviation news tip? 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. There is no cost, and in case you change your mind each email has an unsubscribe button. The Bush fire WAS aggressively IAd, however given the fuel and weather conditions at the time escaped rather quickly. Base model costs 50k where does the rest go??? Wewill award the EU 28 120-day Mandatory Availability Period Type 1 contracts using the CWN BOA to fill the 28 EU line items. . 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. 34 0 obj <>stream dallas cowboys roster 2021 2022; is bodie stroud married; Select Page. . Publications are distributed through hard copy print, web pages, mobile device applications, and other digital media. Well, maybe in some locations. But you better pay for it, USFS says! I can see being a little conservative with air tankers because most have to jettison their load if not used. Does anyone smell a red herring or see a strawman waving his arms? The companies willing to make adjustments will do just that and end up with contracts. 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. 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? With this new one-year contract policy, obtaining those funds could be even more difficult. That is by far the highest percentage of UTFs in the last 18 years. . In other locations they would just shrug their shoulders and walk away. Senator Mark Kelly may be interested in hearing comments about FS & DOI aircraft contracting: SD3-60 Sherpa Avionics Upgrade, Dave Hershey, Contracting Officer agency that, more and more, is becoming its own worst enemy, as well as ours! I will say this Type 1 helicopters are frequently moved around depending on fire danger and incident activity and are often not at their home base. Basic Ordering Agreements (BOAs) for 28 Type 1 helicopters having 120-day mandatory availability periods. If the FS or DOI wants collision avoidance, fine but its gonna cost them. And just a side note, the CO in charge of the solicitation has pointed out these things that are unrealistic but gets told to shut up and color from the mucky mucks in DCso please stop blaming Contracting and if you dont have a clue about contracting it maybe you should take some time to learn a little about contracting. The Agencys incompetence and self sabotage never fails to amaze. Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Brian. Thats what happens when non-aviation people get put it charge of aviation programs. The U.S. Forest Service had estimated there were as many as 150 of the . Sawtooth burned in parts of the fire scar. The U.S. Forest Service has 18 large air tankers on exclusive use (EU) contracts this year. I would be interested to see more reporting on why the USFS is making this transition now and how they made the decisions. A lock ( 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. And they are cheap azzs that wont pay much for anything. In 2020 the agency started out with 13 on . 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. We operate Type III helicopters and are now faced with 40lbs+ 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?). We cant go to the bank with a one-year contract to finance airplanes. Dont you? Type 1 helicopters are the largest used on fires, carrying 700 to 2,800 gallons. Perhaps thats the point: There are available alternatives on the market that can replace the legacy platforms for type II and III, so we should continue upgrading the fleet as we can. Call-When-Needed (CWN) Large Jet Transport, Matthew Olson,Contracting Officer Office: (208) 387-5835 Mobile: (208) 407-6002 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 NIFC Janitorial All perpetuated by the Gov. Region 6 Cache Freight Services, Bryce Pitchford,Contracting Officer Yes, the customer is the FS. -noO:y~f9T|}`CN'oS&4F0{@h2{B(bj) 3h~EL9- Boise, Idaho 83705-5354 Y63 u3e11iQfkbKT?cx6Yi>#/@ G6 usfs type 1 helicopter contracts 2021farmington hills police. Large, heavy-lift helicopters can fill their water tanks with a snorkel that siphons water from lakes, rivers, or other sources. On the other hand it seems in our world it is more important that Im not happy until youre not happy seems to rule. 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. helicopter services hourly flight rates, fuel consumption, and weight reduction chart effective . Aviation for Regions 1, 2, & 9, 10 Thats discouraging as it suggests that the customer really isnt listening and just providing the perception of doing so.your point of just not choosing to submit if an operator doesnt like it is incredibly insensitive and uninformed. 'KD,.QQD IIuY#\>y(Hd Tj4B%0qz8Qa. Aerial SupervisionModule(Lead Planes) It has been lightly edited. Office: (208) 387-5695 Mobile: (208) 860-7334 The U.S. Forest Service (FS) is expecting to contract for 48 Type 1 helicopters for the 2021 wildfire season. And the hits just keep on coming. We all understand that. There are reports that some potential vendors were very unsatisfied with the changes. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Certainly valid concerns regarding the quantity of helicopters to transition and timeline. 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) They essentially want a Sky Crane to do a Jet Rangers job. 0 See what happens when the arrogant customer has no place shop! We have gone a few years in the past 10 where we had zero USFS work at all based on fire behavior but they want their random equipment to be installed on our dime. What happens when they implement it towards Type Is? Typos, let us know, and please keep in mind the commenting ground rules before you post a comment. Access to these sites is restricted and the information and files provided through these sites is not intended for general disclosure or distribution to anyone other than Authorized Government Representatives and solely for the purpose of facilitating the performance of their Official Duties with respect to their administration of these contracts. 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. I do not know of any small operators who can afford to buy new ships, if any are even available. Look at the LATs this year. Helicopters cost pennies in comparison if you need to cancel them (or nothing if they dont even get off the ground!). There is no cost, and in case you change your mind each email has an unsubscribe button. Carson said the hell with the USFS, more money servicing the war machine in Afghanistan. Try to pass on the cost of newer more expensive equipment in less than 10 years than the operators fails on the LPTA front. On a grand scale, the report showed yet again that U.S. military spending easily dwarfed the rest of the world. Office: (208) 616-5548 Mobile: (208) 616- 5548, Training Centers Support (Main Contact) We all understand that. In fact, for the helicopter operators engaged in aerial firefighting, the Type-1s have become the preferred helicopter type, as they transition away from aging, smaller Type-2 and Type-3 modelsboth types with 9 seats or less, and with respective certified internal gross weights of 7,000 to 14,000 pounds (Type 2), and under 7,000 pounds (Type 3); When the helicopter is in position, the crew releases the water to extinguish hot spots. USFS to contract for 48 Type 1 helicopters this year. A series of water drops can enable hand crews to make steady progress on active flanks of the fire. 6-month Exclusive Use (EU) contract extensions for 34 - Type 2 helicopters with contracts expiring in 2022, utilizing BOAs for remaining EU line items. In my experience last year, the surge helicopters ended up on large fires, because there were so many and the need was there. CONTRACTING FOR FIRE. The Surge helicopters will be available for a 120-day contract availability period, beginning June 1, 2021 (except for the Santa Fe Surge). Just more bureaucratic nonsense,and incompetence form the USFS. 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. Official websites use .gov The USFS did not get the number of LATs they assumed they would, I know it shocked them. A nod to newer technology. Cradlepoint, Inc. (Data Communications Products & Services) PADD20210466. Very well stated on what most of us are thinking and in the same boat. The FS would gladly issue multi-year contracts (vs. base year + options). Theres the rub! Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Brian. Helicopters also deliver firefighting crews called helitack crews to fires for initial attack. Ignoring the facts of what that aircraft can actually carry, not what the vendor claims. 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. From completely unacceptable accident rates to corrupt hiring decisions and horrendously abysmal contracting they are all utter and complete failures. Add to this that they are wanting us to throw all of this money into our aircraft to get on the contract (which is now a 10 year contract!) Jeffrey McGinley, Associate Branch Chief, Aviation If any of those folks everrrrrr knew what it takes to run a rotary operation. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Incident Procurement Modernization Team Member. 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. One vendor said new requirements could reduce the number of helicopters on contract. There was a big demand for the S-61 (w/Carson Blades) along with a call for both pilots and mechanics in Afghanistan on High dollar US Gov. Mulcher / Masticator - Boom Mounted Checklist, U.S. Forest Service, Contracting 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! & _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 Nor is it actually clear to me that is what is happening. She saidUp to 30 additional Type 1 helicoptersare on Call When Needed contracts, which includes the six that no longer have EU contracts. . Exactly. Erickson Incorporated announced three new USFS Firefighting contracts for the upcoming 2021 wildfire season. Office: (208) 387-5252 Mobile: (208) 866-0417 USFS Aviation Safety Management System. But only when they decide, of course! Besides the cost for the new equipment will be passed on the FS through the increase in Daily Availability rates. Phone: (208) 387-5670 One has to write to the audience who butters their bread! Your input allows us to recognize outstanding service and also provides a tool to address areas of industry concern. I will agree to have a different look at the Fires. 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. 5 more pack tests and Im done. 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. You must be USFS this sounds exactly like the Q&A session Language will remain as written. NIFC Operations Support have no assurance they will garner any sort of benefit for their effort. Women's Bond NFT Collection usfs type 1 helicopter contracts 2021 . (Originally published at 5:34 p.m. MT February 8, 2018). Office: (208) 387-5682 Mobile: (208) 407-6003, Andrea Marks-Cash, Contract Specialist 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. 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. Enter your email address to subscribe and receive notifications of new posts by email. The cheapest camera we could find is $10,000. They almost seem to be writing rules to make the use of Firefighting Aircraft, impossible . Secure .gov websites use HTTPS 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 operable? We live near Custer S.D. Federal Contract Opportunity for National Exclusive-Use Type 1 and Type 2 Helicopter Modernization SN-2021-01 . Continual outflanking of the crews. Samantha Roberts, Zoological Society of London [ TOP ] Plate 42. But they wont tell us when they are doing that, just that as we bid on EU work within the CWN contract eventually they are going to want modern helicopters. Your input here is really helpful. For senior high and older readers. Typos, let us know, and please keep in mind the commenting ground rules before you post a comment. 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. They are all tied to contractors in the business. The EC135/145 have potential, but at what cost? If it aint broke, dont try to fix it. My look and details are just that- my perception. Along with Monitormonkey from above.

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