I'm no fire strategist but I know several career guys who are...the one thing they all agree on...none of these wars were ever won in the air, more so as the forest canopy gets thicker and steeper. They do admit that aerial attack can buy precious time for the "infantry'' to build dozer and handline. And they are at their most effective when the smaller rotary aircraft is used out where spotfires are erupting outside the line. GSA did a study a few years back on cost/benefit ratio of air resources, conclusion, least bang for the buck. It was buried, air resource contractors lobby like any other multi million dollar government vendors. Not sayin' I wasn't happy to see air attack around here the last few years, I didn't seem to mind the cost when I could see flames from my shack, grin. CalFire strategy is direct attack whenever possible, and they need air for that strategy to work safely. The Forest Service uses the "big box" strategy, back off a ridge or two and plan for a dirt line days out, and let everything burn inside the big box. Water drops dry out within an hour or so, retardant stays gooey for a few hours but eventually dries also, so it's very wasteful to dump water inside the big box. Bare mineral earth fireline is what contains forest fires in the end.
I would tend to agree, especially this part...
"they are at their most effective when the smaller rotary aircraft is used out where spotfires are erupting outside the line"Montanas do as they see fit at the time, they don't wait around to be catered to by government entities.
The following story tells the tale.
Those planes were awesome at knocking down the spot fires started by airborne debris beyond the miles of fire line these private citizens cut with their own equipment.
Dayton resident's quick thinking saves land, homes from Elmo 2 Fire
NOTE:
Clicking on the video interview below is going to launch you to the NBC News page where this video is posted. I was unable to embed it due to limitations on this site.KALISPELL, MONT. — One homeowner's quick thinking likely saved his land from the fast moving flames of the Elmo 2 Fire near Dayton.
The wildfire began last Friday and has grown to over 16,000 acres burned.
One resident in Dayton described the scene as a war zone, as planes, helicopters and ground personnel battled the fire continuously.
As the fire made its way through high-density timber and brush, one local resident’s quick thinking made a huge difference.
Rick Dreo and his cousin saw the winds shift, forcing the flames onto his property. In a matter of minutes, his 125-acre property was caught in the fire’s path.
“You don’t have time to think, it’s just instinct, your gut, and you go with it, you know, and first thing you want to do is save your property and everything around it. I couldn’t handle the heat, it was so intense, it felt like a blowtorch on your face, it was that intense of a heat,” said Dreo.
Dreo and his cousin’s efforts worked, cutting fire lines with his skid loader and bulldozer, stopping the fire and saving over 100 acres on his property, but he wasn’t done there.
Seeing what he was able to accomplish, Dreo began cutting fire lines for his neighbors’ property. After he was finished, he said they had done miles of fire lines and couldn’t keep track.
“You just want to stop the dang thing as quick as you can, as fast as you can, that’s just what you do,” said Dreo.
His actions were able to save not only his home and land but some of his surrounding neighbors’ property as well, leaving them in disbelief.
“Disbelief and incredible gratitude, I mean that’s everything I own right there, and the fact that somebody I don’t even know, I’ve never met, yet was willing to put his life on the line to salvage that is absolutely incredible,” said neighbor Cheryl Hunt.
Although Dreo’s actions saved his property and a number of others, firefighters still want to remind everyone to be careful in dangerous conditions, as human life is still top priority.
Full containment of the Elmo 2 Fire could take about a month.