Zion Helitack

Farewell To Reid!

2010-07-12T17:11:00.000-07:00

It has been a long while since the last post. There is a lot to catch up on, and I am sure that in time those posts about the crews pre-season activities will be shared. I wanted to share my thanks with all of those who follow this blog. I have been given an opportunity to move on in my career. I have been the Helitack Supervisor for Zion National Park for going on 6 years. Sometimes the road has been bumpy, sometimes full of danger and excitement. There has been plenty of long days, and some that lacked the ability to capture my memories. Altogether it has been a defining experience to support this program in becoming more than it was when I arrived.

I have accepted a position with Aviation Management as an Aviation Training Specialist. Those who know me will understand that this position combines two loves that I have. One for aviation and its use in resource management, the other for training which is the keystone of every good crew and employee. I hope to join a new team of professional individuals that are striving to support our many DOI field units, and their training needs.

I have left the crew with as much knowledge as I had the time to deliver... I have left them very capable of continuing in a positive and respectable way. It is difficult for me to express in words the mix of emotions that I feel! I watched the crew role out to a fire today, and my heart desired to be with them... My hope is that the next Helicopter Manager to call this crew "theirs", will spend the time, energy, and thought required to continue it's growth. There are no perfect crews, but there are crews with the desire to become perfect... That is what my hope is for this crew, that it never loses that desire. Through my own experience I am keenly aware of the fact that the Helitack Supervisor creates the stage by which the crew will achieve or fail. I hope that my successor is also aware of that, and does his/her best to support this crew in achieving greater things.

I have left the blog to capable hands on the crew... this will be my last post. I would encourage those who have become fans of this blog to continue their support. I too will become a faithful follower of the activities that Zion Helitack has in the future...

Cheers, Have a great Season... and we'll see you on the "flip side" of things!
Michael L. Reid (M.L.)

Updates!!!

2010-05-26T19:05:00.000-07:00

Crew is on... Reid attended Honor Guard training... Hillsboro aviation has been on sight for the past week with the brand new 407... and today members of the crew took their first flight on and under the helicopter.

There has been a lot of activity over the past three weeks with the crew. We experienced the crew coming on and going through the activities that often accompany the first week of employment. It was a long week and a crash course in personalities. During that week Reid was absent as he was attending training for the first ever formed Honor Guard for fire within the National Park Service. Something that Zion can be proud to be a part of. The crew followed up week one with a solid week of training... most everyone on the crew had some course that they were either a part of or preparing for. It was another busy week of everyone going a different direction. Runyan, our new assistant, joined us on Sunday. We are excited to welcome him to the crew. He is quickly adjusting to life with the crew.... Hillsboro Aviation has been on sight for about 10 days now. The pilots have been preparing very diligently for what has occured over the past couple of days. Short-haul training began a couple of days ago... today we took our first flights under the belly of a brand new 407. It was a huge culmination of an immense amount of effort in planning and training. Zion Helitack has become a short-haul qualified program. Lay spent two weeks training with the Guard... we are proud to have a member of our armed services on the crew, and we support him in his efforts to enhance this country and its borders. Also we teamed up for a 5K mud run that happened this last weekend. Our crew did well... and represented in honorable fashion at the New Harmony VFD fundraiser mud run.

So as I started... lots to report! I have plenty of video and pictures and when I get a moment to do so... I will post individual posts about each of the things mentioned above. Until then....

stay safe!

Mill Flat Fire - Official Report!

2010-04-19T19:35:00.000-07:00

The Mill Flat Fire - Discovered on July 25th, it was determined that the fire in the Pine Valley mountains above New Harmony was a good candidate for a "resource benefit" managed event. On August 29th, over a month later, the Mill Flat fire experienced a rapid growth event and descended out of the Pine Mountain Wilderness into the town of New Harmony. August 31st, 2009 a Type 1 Incident Management Team (Muir) transitioned with local management to engage, coral, and extinguish the resource benefit fire that had become a nightmare for local residents in Southern Utah's town of New Harmony.

For a month, residents of New Harmony and Firefighters alike had watched with anticipation and anxiety as the Mill Flat Fire grew in strength. Initially the fire was located in an area where the re-introduction of aspen would have been beneficial to the forest. The introduction of the aspen required a disturbance event much like a fire, and in the early days of the Mill Flat Fire it looked as though "Mother Nature" had chosen the time and place to ensure regeneration of the aspen within the Pine Mountain Wilderness. Something that local land managers were in support of. Everything looked good for about a month... but due to the growth of the fire and change in conditions, the fire was heading for an event that no one anticipated and everyone feared.

When the uncontrolled Wildland Fire, called the Mill Flat, came down off the mountainside it did so with a fury unmatched. It burned long into the evening, well beyond the hours of operation for the aerial assault that was taking place earlier in the day. It felt as though the efforts that the helicopters and air-tankers had made earlier in the day were fruitless. In fact the aviation show had been shut down earlier than nightfall due to the intense winds that were driving the raging inferno. As the town was evacuated, firefighter retreated to a fallback position. Structures had been evaluated for structure protection previously in preparing for worst event scenario, and now as that fell upon the firefighters in the ash of a raging wildfire it was evident that the actions to be taken would be heroic if they were to save every structure. They battled through the night, and in the morning it was reported that several structures had been lost. It wasn't for the lack of effort from the firefighters on the line, as they had engaged the fire toe to toe. In the end despite every effort made by the firefighters, the rage of the inferno and the lack of preparation on the part of some residents made for a losing battle.

As we prepared for the incoming type 1 management team, we spoke with many of the residents located within the area of destruction. In their minds the result of the fire might as well have been a Nuclear Explosion. The land in and around structures standing and destroyed, looked like devastation. It was a difficult fire to extinguish... and the efforts of the firefighters that were on the line should be commended by all.

So the question remains... why didn't local managers take action to engage the fire, earlier in its growth? The answer to this question may not be black and white. In many ways the answer is subjective at best. In our careers as firefighters we understand one thing better than most, "hindsight is 20/20"! So rather than point fingers, or issue judgement we wish to share with you the final report issued just last month. Take a moment to read it, and in your own subjective manner you can feel free to render your own judgement. In so doing, please understand... there is a distinction between decision that are made on a national, regional, and local level by managers and policy makers from those that are engaged in exercising action based on those decisions. Basically, don't disregard the efforts that those young men and women firefighters took to engage this wildland fire. They are heroic actions that put their lives in jeopardy! So be critical of decisions that were made by all levels of management, however don't be judgemental of the firefighters that did their best when the opportunity to fight the fire was given to them.

Here is the link to the final report...

http://www.wildfirelessons.net/documents/Mill_Flat_Fire_Review.pdf

Zion Helicopter Contract Awarded!

2010-04-02T22:10:00.000-07:00

Finally... it has been a long time coming. Today we were informed that the contract solicitation for Zion N.P.'s exclusive use helicopter, has been awarded.

Congratulations to Hillsboro Aviation. They will be returning to Cedar City Utah for the 2010 season. This time bringing with them a Bell 407 instead of the L-4.

The new aircraft, less than 100 hrs of flight on it, was delivered to Hillsboro at the end of 2009. The above picture shows our primary pilot, Nicole Ludwig, at the controls of this beautiful machine (N407HL).

This picture shows the 407 doing some training work, full down collective. With this new aircraft comes a brand new fuel vehicle as well. The 800 gallon Dodge truck will be a welcome addition to the contract. This year Hillsboro will also provide us with a mechanic, per contract requirement. It will be good to have a mechanic/driver with us each day to watch over the maintenance of the helicopter.

4 years ago we broke in, what was a near new aircraft... we are once again going to have the pleasure of breaking in an even newer aircraft. So for the crewmembers who will be joining our team this year... start wrapping your mind around the new call sign "seven-hotel-lima". This may be a difficult task for several of us who have been used to the look (which hasn't changed much) and call sign of our previous aircraft (420RL). I personally feel that "seven-hotel-lima" rolls off the tongue a little smoother.

Congrats to Hillsboro Aviation... we look forward to teaming up with you for another contract period!

Wildland Firefighter Foundation

2010-03-11T19:46:00.000-08:00

Took a moment this evening to watch a wonderful video that was sent to me. It is a short 15 minutes of explanation concerning the Wildland Firefighter Foundation. I, like many others in this industry, have lost people I cared about to wildland fires. The business of fighting wildland fires is dangerous. The compensation for long hours in terrible conditions is sometimes insulting, but then most who have been wildland firefighters for any time at all do so for a love that is deeper than the money they receive. I would encourage you to take a few minutes and watch this video...

Wildland Firefighter Foundation 2010 from Paul Steele on Vimeo.

The Wildland Firefighter Foundation is a valuable part of the society that every firefighter belongs to. It is comforting to know that should something go wrong my loved ones will have support that extends beyond immediate family... to a much larger family... my fire family!

If you are not a member of the 52 club... then join! If you are a current member of the 52 club, my heartfelt thanks for your unselfish support! As we head into the 2010 fire season, it is my hope and prayer that we all come home safely...

Helitack Videos

2010-03-08T18:55:00.000-08:00

I am sad to say... the video's that had been posted needed to be removed. Unfortunately, some of the comments being received from the videos reflected a portion of the public that felt as if the government employees were waisting tax paying dollars. I can understand how a person might have that opinion after watching the videos, however I tend to disagree. What we do in the Wildland Firefighting community is not only dangerous but demanding. Young men and women work 16 hour days only to return to a tent and a sleeping bag for rest. Often times we are sleeping in a camp where generators and lights keep you up for hours beyond retiring to bed and wake you up hours before you need to be up. Most people run on 5-6 hours of sleep each night, only to return to a very tough and demanding job the next day. If you have ever managed a crew like this, you know how difficult it is to keep the moral of the crew at an acceptable level. I would be the first to say that we represent the Government and must act accordingly... I would also say that the public should understand that the job is fraught with long hours for mediocre pay and plenty of discomfort and risk. To allow a crew to enjoy a moment or two of silly antics is a small substitute for all that our firefighters do on a daily basis.

Perhaps I am critical in sharing my opinion... however, here I go! Show me a professional who has not left work physically or mentally a few minutes early, or someone who has not taken a pen or pencil from the office. Show me a person who has not jumped on the company computer to take care of personal chores or look at something totally unrelated to their job. Show me the person who hasn't stopped by a store while running a company errand, or arrived at work a few minutes late. I believe that most everyone, with very few exceptions, have found themselves doing something that could be considered unproductive, or down right theft of property (be it time or money). Wouldn't that make most of those who point the finger at a group of young men and claim, "they are waisting government time" hypocritical?

Studies have shown that happy employees are harder workers... perhaps allowing them the opportunity to film a few moments during work time is the inappropriate thing to do, but I would ask what is appropriate? Is it the times on a Helibase where upper management sits around telling stories of heroic actions that they took in the past, despite those "war stories" being unrelated to the task at hand? Is it the times during a meeting when employees complain about policy and management for what turns into hours? Is it the extra long lunch that was taken in order to drop a letter by the post office, or enjoy the company of a friend that you haven't seen in a very long time? I could point out hours of waste that I have seen within the Government... and it isn't just the Government. I am sure anyone reading this could share moments of observed time that was wasted at their offices or that they have seen doing errands on a daily basis.

I support the job that our firefighters do... I support the idea that they are often placed in situations where time is wasted, and it is not due to their actions. I know that as Government employees we represent something beyond ourselves, and must act with a level of integrity. However, why is it we can't support a moment of jovial fun that allowed everyone watching to laugh for a moment before going back to the hard, demanding, and dangerous work that they were doing? As a manager of a group of highly trained professionals who struggle at times to maintain a level of moral, I think it is the little things we do that make the difference for our people. I like to look at it in this way... I demand a high level of action and accomplishment from my people. So when the moment arises, where productivity won't be hurt and the consequences of action are minuscule, why not let your employees relax! Get off of their backs, if only for a moment or two, and let them enjoy what they do. In the end they will work harder, smarter, and longer for you when they are asked to do so.

Food for thought!
M.L.

Wildland Firefighter Foundation!!!

2010-03-02T21:39:00.000-08:00

This is a great cause, and it is easy for you to contribute. For the next 11 + days you can vote on a NASCAR racing design that would place the Wildland Firefighting Foundation front and center... Follow this link each day to vote!

http://ramblingsofachiefofficer.blogspot.com/2010/02/dont-forget-to-vote-for-wildland.html

Thanks everyone for taking the time to support such a wonderful cause... Our Fallen Firefighters Deserve It!!!

Slingin' Shit !!!

2010-02-26T18:48:00.000-08:00

Well as many of you know, twice a year the government contracts a helicopter to support bringing human waste off of Scout's Lookout. Many people have voiced their dislike of the dollars spent to bring barrels of human waste off of the mountain, however many of those same people would not hesitate to step into the bathroom at Scouts Lookout. There isn't much in the way of choice when the urge hits you.

This time around we were a little anxious as the canyon had received snow just days earlier. The guys heading up the hill had to clamp on special traction gear to their boots to navigate the slick sections of refrigerator canyon and walter's wiggles. The morning started out very cold, but as the sun came up it felt good to be outside doing this project. It is a great time of the year to be up on Scouts Lookout, as there are few if any visitors that would dare climb the trail. It makes for a very peaceful experience, up top!

Check out this video, it may give those of you who wonder how we fly "shit" off the hill, that needed visual.

So the next time you find yourself at Scouts Lookout and you take the opportunity to relieve yourself, just remember that yes someone is shoveling your waste into a barrel and we are flying that crap to the bottom of the hill.

Your tax paying dollars at work... we're glad we could support such an important operation. Our hats are off to the real hero's in this project, those men and women that hike up the hill on a regular basis to shovel shit... thank you "Mr. Shit Shoveler" for making our visits to the park more tolerable.

cheers,

Hiring Completed!

2010-02-24T21:01:00.000-08:00

It has been a very difficult season for hiring... the 2010 application process brought some of the strongest candidates that we have seen in a very long time. It has not been without complication... we have hit some brick walls in hiring and experienced some difficult decisions. We would like to thank everyone that put in for one of the few positions available this season... We encourage those who were not contacted, or did not get selected to apply again next season.

With that, we would like to introduce you to the 2010 Zion Helitack Team!

Michael Reid - Program Manager
Ben Thayer - Senior Lead Crewmember
Ben Suerig - Lead Crewmember
Norman "Iceman" Allen - Senior Crewmember
Thea Hamm - Senior Crewmember
Bryan Quimby - Crewmember
Carol Adam - Crewmember
Kristin Matjasich - Crewmember
Cresston Lay - Crewmember

Congrat's to everyone who will returned and to those newly hired.

Cheers,
M.L.

Grand Canyon Helitack

2010-02-08T19:52:00.000-08:00

In the absence of much to report for Zion Helitack, we would like to share an exciting video highlighting our neighboring park. Grand Canyon National Park has a 365 day exclusive contract with one of the most unique utility helicopters in the business. The MD 900 Explorer is a twin engine NOTAR helicopter. The NOTAR helicopter refers to the lack of a tail rotor. It makes this helicopter fairly quiet as helicopters go. This is important due to the sound quality over our national parks, and Grand Canyon requires a lot of helicopter work. This helitack crew works behind the scenes to support the water pipeline, wildland fire, and search and rescue within the park. A job that requires hundreds of hours in flight, over some very breathtaking scenery. The following video is of the rescue performed on Hermits Trail. We would like to thank the Grand Canyon Helitack Crew for sharing such an awesome video:

Zion National Park has utilized the great tool that is short haul, many times during the past few years. We have counted on professionals from the Grand Canyon to perform these necessary life saving short hauls. The Grand Canyon Crew is very well trained and exemplify professionalism in every evolution that they have performed for Zion N.P. We are anxious to learn from them as we enter into a new program element for Zion Helitack. It is our hopes that we will be approved to engage in short haul training for the 2010 season. Undoubtedly we will look to our neighboring National Park for support in training and becoming proficient with the tool, short haul.

Until next time!
cheers,

Certificate is in!

2010-02-02T20:59:00.000-08:00

This is just a simple and short post to let everyone know that we have pulled our first "certificate" for seasonal hiring. We dove in head first today, muddling our way through the hiring process. It is important that everyone who applied be aware of a couple of things:

Numbers - qualified applicants for the GS-3 level equaled 210, applicants for the GS-4 level equaled 54, applicants for the GS-5 level equaled 31... so total number of applicants equaled approximately 295!!!!
We have funding for 3 GS-4 positions available (this does not mean that we will only hire GS-4's, however it does mean the we will not be hiring any GS-5's)
It will take us a couple of weeks to get through the initial process of narrowing our applicant pool down to a reasonable number of qualified applicants.

So be patient... and if you have not heard anything from us by mid to late February you can feel free to contact us and inquire about our current situation. We will try to post the names of the crewmembers who have accepted a position, by the end of February.

Good Luck

Short Haul Update

2010-01-25T19:42:00.001-08:00

This is just an interum update on the short haul program at Zion National Park. Our enhancement proposal for short haul has been approved through the Park Superintendent. Next stop will be the Intermountain Regional Office where the Regional Director must sign the appropriate document. All indications is that this will occure... stay tuned!

Side-note: I was made aware that the National Office (NPS) has made the decision to approve short haul for use in Wildland Fire (insertion/extraction). There are few if any details at this time. The Fire and Aviation Management Workshop in San Antonio during the first week of Feb should give some insight into the thoughts and application of this decision.

So this is just a quick update... I would be looking for a post to follow the workshop in San Antonio happening next week.

Cheers,
Zion Helitack

Last Call !!!

2010-01-25T19:29:00.000-08:00

January 26th, 2010...

Today is potentially your last chance!

We will be pulling our first certificate on January 27th... meaning that January 26th is the last day in which you may apply and be considered for our initial hiring. I have mentioned this in previous posts, however it warrants another mention. We do not typically have the need to pull any aditional "certs" following the first one. This means if you do not get your application in by close of business on January 26th, you may not receive a chance to be hired.

Recommendation: Get Your Application In!

For those of you who have applied already... We will be pulling our first "cert" on January 27th and it should be to us by the first week of February. This will begin the hiring process! We hope to have our initial group of individuals, selected by the middle of February. If you applied and have not heard from us by the close of the month, you can get in touch with us using the link on the right of this blog in order to inquire about your standings.

Good luck to everyone! As we get closer, it now looks like we will have 3 seasonal GS-3/4 positions available on the crew.

1st Major Aviation Tragedy of 2010!

2010-01-07T05:22:00.000-08:00

Going through e-mails yesterday and came across an e-mail talking about what a wonderful job the Department of the Interior had done during the first quarter of the new fiscal year. The e-mail was talking about the accident free record that aviation had and what an accomplishment that was. I believe it was title "Congratulations! - on our way to a mishap free FY2010". The e-mail was sent out by John Mills, Aviation Safety Manager for the Department of the Interior, and stated the following;

Congratulations and well done on a mishap free December! But not only the month of December, the first quarter of FY2010 as well. Not since 2006 has the DOI had a mishap free first quarter... Let's make FY10 a mishap-free year for DOI aviation.

It was a good way to start out the morning. In aviation, like other areas of the Government, we strive to avoid mishaps, incidents with potential, and especially injury. It often time seems like a losing battle, and it is easy to become cynical about the issue of "no accidents". However, we never stop striving to reach this goal. No one ever leaves the house saying, "yep, today is the day to let my guard down... who knows maybe I'll have an accident".

The first e-mail of the day showing praise for a job well done and giving encouragement that we can accomplish our goal of no mishaps, was quickly overshadowed with the news of a helicopter crash in Northern California.

A California Fish & Game Helicopter crashed in Madera County on the Sierra NF southwest of Yosemite earlier today... The company listed is one that our Calif. LE folks used this past summer.

The helicopter that crashed today near Redinger Lake was doing work for the state Department of the Fish and Game, Madera County sheriff's spokeswoman Erica Stuart said. Stuart confirmed that the U.S. Forest Service personnel are on scene, and that Madera County deputies are headed there. The Fresno County Sheriff's Office has offered assistance, she said.

Gary Schales, a pilot for the Department of Fish and Game, said the helicopter struck an electrical wire 300 feet above Redinger Lake and crashed. Three Department of Fish and Game employees aboard the helicopter were conducting deer surveys, Schales said.

John Baker, a Central District assistant chief for the department of Fish and Game, said the helicopter was owned by Landells Aviation, an air charter service based in Desert Hot Springs.

Southern California Edison spokesman Bill DeLaine said the helicopter made contact with power lines, but it wasn't clear if that caused the crash. The utility is looking into the extent of the damage, but the crash has not caused a major power outage, he said.

We have since learned that all 3 passengers and the pilot lost their lives during this incident. Although this particular flight was not under the control of the DOI, it is a grim reminder of just how quickly a promissing record of no mishaps can be squashed. It is never a good time to lose a loved one, but anything near a holiday seems to hit a little harder when revisiting thoughts of loved ones who are gone. It will undoubtedly be a difficult time of the year, for many years to come, as the surviving family members remember their lost loved ones.

Our hearts go out to the families... and our cry for vigilence in the persuit of an accident free year are strengthened. We encourage everyone to wake up each morning with a conscious thought about making it a safe day... be sure to clear your mind of other stresses and distractions prior to climbing on board that aircraft, make your mission the focus of what you are doing.

Our Thoughts & Prayers
M.L.

2010 Hiring!

2009-12-04T11:31:00.001-08:00

Well... it is finally here. I know it seems as though we are behind the curve, and truth be told we are just a little later than normal. If you are interested in applying for a seasonal position with Zion Helitack, you should follow the directions below to ensure you have an oportunity at employment.

Zion Helitack will be looking at the potential for one GS-5 senior firefighter position, and 1-3 GS 3 or 4 firefighter positions. There is never a gaurantee that these positions will be available as we often offer returning crewmembers the opportunity to occupy the same position that had the year previous. What we can gaurantee you is that without applying you will not have the opportunity to be considered for employement, should we have positions open... so bottom line is this; Apply if you are interested... it doesn't committ you to anything other than a small amount of work to get your application in.

To Apply:
go to - www.usajobs.gov
under the keyword search enter - NPS-FIRE-2010-020
under the location search enter - Cedar City
Press Enter!

The only position that should come up is the following announcement
NPS-FIRE-2010-020
Helitack Wildland Firefighter GS3/4/5 Seasonal

Please read through the entire application prior to following the directions for application which are on the How To Apply tab.

IMPORTANT: January 26,2010 will be the cut off date for early consideration.
Often times we will not pull another certificate following this early consideration, as we typically have enough interested candidates that no further consideration is necessary!

So there you have it... the announcement is out! I highly recommend that you apply early! (Prior to January 26,2010) It is also recommended that if you have any questions concerning the job, you call the Helicopter Program Manager his number will be listed below...

Again, there is no known position that will be available... however, the potential exists for a GS-5 senior firefighter and 1 to 3 additional GS 3/4 positions.

IMPORTANT: If you are a previous employee of Zion Helitack and wish to return after a break in service (i.e. you did not fight fire for us during the 2009 season), you should apply! This ensures that we are aware of your desire to return to the crew... If you are a member of Zion Helitack that fought fire seasonally during the 2009 season, and you wish to gain a different level of employement (i.e. you were a GS-4 in 2009, but would like to be a GS-5 in 2010), then you MUST apply to this announcement again. We cannot give a promotion to you without proper competition... Call you supervisor with any questions regarding this post.

We look forward to seeing a large number of applicants... so apply early and be thorough!

Zion Helitack
Helicopter Program Manager
Michael Reid - 435-865-4640
or you may e-mail your questions to zionhelitack@live.com

Good Luck!

Short-haul or Rappel

2009-11-16T14:00:00.000-08:00

There are many crews that have added valuable tools (skills) to supplement their capabilities as a helitack crew. Two tools that often carry a lot of hype are Rappel and Short-haul. Rappel is of course what you would imagine. It typically involves two rappelers and a spotter working out of a helicopter allowing for access to terrain and vegatation that would be difficult to land in.

Rappelers can decend from the helicopter at great speed from varying heights up to 250 feet above the ground. It takes a skilled pilot, and a lot of training for the crew to obtain this skill and remain proficient in its use. Many agencies within land management have excercised this practice. It is utilized primarily by firefighters that are looking to gain access to fires that are in very remote locations, typically wilderness.

Rappel requires that a pilot pull into a hover over a predetermined location. Upon inspection of the location, a spotter will drop ropes out of either side of the helicopter. Once the ropes have reached the ground and following a series of checks, the spotter will tell the rappelers to go to the skids. Once each rappeler has taken his/her position on the skids and all looks good to the spotter... the word is given to rappel. Both rappelers will then negotiate their way off of the skids and into a free slide rappel. Rappeling has an inherent risk associated with it... there are a lot of checks and training that takes place to ensure that no accidents occur, however despite every effort there is the occasional injury associated with rappeling. Until recently those injuries have typically been minor in nature, however this last year the first recorded death associated with rappeling occured.

Short-haul is a practice that is primarily exercised by the National Park Service, and some state agencies. It has been utilized almost exclusively for Search and Rescue activities. The practice of Short-haul requires incredible skills by the pilot and a well trained group of individuals to perform the Short-haul. In Short-haul individual technitions are connected to the bottom of a long line and lifted from one location to be delivered to another location. It is primarily a life saving activity used for extracting injured individuals that require medical attention.

The practice of Short-haul is fairly well regulated, and requires the right skilled people with a very skilled pilot. There are no reported accidents or injuries using NPS helicopters to do Short-haul. Many years ago, there was a death during a Short-haul evolution when a military aircraft performed a similar style of extraction and inadvertantly drug a patient through the trees... killing the individual. So it is conservative to say that Short-haul is also a risky tool that we utilize.

So this is the question that has come up recently... could Short-haul be utilized as a tool to insert firefighters the same as rappel. Are the risks greater than that of rappel? Could risk be mitigated if a crew was not utilizing both tools (i.e. rappel to insert firefighters, short-haul to rescue victims)? Recently Short-haul has been approved to insert law enforcement into locations for the seizing of marijuana plantations, could the same tool then be utilized for firefighters?

We want to know what you think about this topic... on the right there is a survey that asks the question, feel free to give your opinion by answering that survey. However, I would suggest that you add a comment (whether you want to be annonymous or not) by clicking on the comment box at the bottom of this post... give us your two cents about the topic... particularly, do you think it is a viable alternative to rappel... and if so or if not, why?

waiting to publish your comments,

Mill Flat Fire

2009-10-31T19:08:00.000-07:00

This season has been different... and the terminology attached to that difference was "Fire for Resource Benefit". Many members of the crew felt that we should have made up some T-shirts that prominently displayed "Fire for Resource Benefit Tour of '09"!

Mill Flat was one of those fires... It started mid season and spent the better part of a month creeping around the wilderness of the Pine Valley Mountains. For the most part doing some good for the resource... This fire ended in controversy and pain! We do not pretend to understand nor do we pass judgement on the decisions made concerning the management of this fire. Our job is to be available to support those decisions made... early on the decision was made that this naturally occuring fire would be left to its own agenda in the wilderness. Mother Nature was in control, and fire managers took a sideline seat to monitor and observe what she had in store...

This was the unfortunate result... a fire that quickly spread downhill out of the wilderness and into the town of New Harmony. Again, we do not wish to question or second guess what decisions were made... we want to focus on the role we took once the fire became unruley.

The picture above is of a retardent drop from a heavy air-tanker... this photo was taken the morning after the big push into town. New Harmony was not out of the woods... a lot of damage had been at this point but the threat of further damage was still very real. At this point a Type I incident management team had been ordered and Zion Helitack was engaged in establishing a base of operations for the large amount of helicopters that were already on order.

As you can see in this picture... the fire still had a lot of vegatation and topography that it was able to march across. It is difficult to see in this picture, so I will describe what was occuring. A wall of fire that was backing downslope, against the wind, allowing for dramatic uphill runs!

New Harmony was definately on the edge of the continued threat... several homes had already been lost, and many more homeowners were still nervous about the coming hours and days. The tension in town was thick! Many people had (and still do) emotional opinions concerning the decisions made about this fire, and the continued efforts of the fire fighters on the ground. We did our best to be understanding of the situation they were in, while trying to focus on the job we must do... The above picture was taken from town, and shows just how close the fire was and the altered veiw of the landscape that most will live with for many years.

On a positive note... a look to the East still holds a dramatic veiw of Kolob! It reminded us of the extreme oposites that Mother Nature can be... The gorgeous vista compared to the destructive power of a wildfire.

Back to our role... above, a picture of Zion Helitack crewmembers discussing the fire and their current roles. Hamm had been given the opportunity to work on the Color Country handcrew. She found us setting up a heliwell along her division and took the time to chat with Thayer and Damron about the events of the night prior.

She was obviously having a good time... it is always good to have a change of pace. We all love what we do on Zion Helitack... however, getting the chance to play a different role in fire is a welcome change... and Hamm was soaking up every minute of it!

Initially a 6000 gallon pumpkin (foreground) was established for the engines that were engaged in structure protection. We were asked to switch gears and establish a water source for the large helicopter show that had already engaged the fire. So we set up this 15,000 gallon Heliwell (transported to us from McCall Idaho)...

We had set up two Heliwells, both 15,000 gallon! This one was established a little further away from the fire in the foreseeable chance that the fire would smoke in the other water sources. We did a lot of work to ensure that the air show would not be slowed due to a lack of water. These large Heliwells are a monster to put together... but they are so valuable when you have large heavy helicopters looking for water. This one was brought to us from Richfield Utah.

We spent a lot of time supporting the Mill Flat fire... from initial recons when it was still considered a fire doing good for the wilderness to establishing multiple helibases to run the large air show that would fight the fire out of control to the transport of weather stations up the hill that will monitor rain fall and the potential for flooding... it was a long duration fire! A lot of lessons were learned from this fire... some of which were very upsetting to the community and the local land managers... the most important lesson, which seems to be one that is learned over and over again, is that Mother Nature is difficult to predict and even harder to control!

cheers,

Our role in Park Management!

2009-09-19T18:47:00.000-07:00

Below are a few random yet connected pictures of the various ways that Zion Helitack plays a role in the management of Zion National Park. On occassion we are asked what we do for the Park, below are a few pictures showing a couple of the things we do. The pictures weren't really chosen for their great example of the job we do... but more for the beautiful scenery! Enjoy...

The picture above is of Ben Suerig and Craig Thexton (Fire & L.E.) This was during the Cliffs Fire when we were mobilized to support evacuation of LaVerkin Canyon. It was in the general direction that the fire was heading and the Ranger staff knew of several back-country permits that would place people in harms way... we landing in the canyon in order to deliver these two SAR individuals, that they might have a head start in finding and evacuating those in the canyon.

This picture is a beautiful aerial veiw of Angels Landing, one of the most visited places in the Park. Unfortunately this photo (as were some of the others on this blog) was taken when we responded to the Park that we might help in an investigation and body recovery of a woman that fell from the edge of the Angels Landing trail.

This photo shows just how sheer the rock is from top to bottom... an awe-inspiring sight!

You can see several Rangers on the SAR (Search and Rescue) team standing on the trail. It gives a level of perspective to the steep and rugged country that makes up most of the main canyon. Again this photo is of the Angels Landing trail.

It is a small part of this photo... but hopefully it gives you the idea of what we see as we enter the park in search of a fire. The small smoke on the rim of the canyon is about 2 acres in size... for those that don't speak the language of "firefighter", an acre is approximately the size of a football field. We are still a few miles away from the smoke in this picture.

I love this photo... it really shows a great aerial view of Zion National Park. To truely respect and understand the rugged and unforgiving landscape that is Zion, you must see it from a vantage point much like this. It's a wonder why they call Southern Utah... Color Country!

Again, another view of the lanscape which makes up Zion National Park. In this photo you can see the West Rim trail on the left side of the photo. On the right side of the photo you can almost see the canyons that lead to the Subway, which is another very popular trail in the park. It is landscape like this that makes having a helicopter not only a usefull tool, but at times a necessary tool.

I threw in this last photo... to help those whom ask why so many people tragically lose their lives due to falls in the Park. Again in this photo you see the spure ridge that leads up to Angels Landing. The pullout that you can see at the bottom of the picture is Big Bend. You can see the vehicles parked their... they establish a great scale for reference. Each year we seem to have at least one fatality on this climb. It is unfortunate, but it is well signed and people are warned that it is not an easy trail. A single moment of inatentive hiking can lead to a very unforgiving fall.

So there you have it... we provide several services for Zion National Park. Primarily we are a delivery method for those that need to navigate this very rough terrain. Stay tuned for the next update where we will share many pictures of the various fires and projects that we assisted in during the 2009 season.

cheers,

M.L.

New Post

2009-09-08T19:37:00.001-07:00

I know that it has been a long while since the last update. A lot has occured! When things slow down, it is our intention to update the blog with pictures and stories. Until then, we will continue to ramp down for the season...

We completed the Greenville Bench RX
We spent time in Central Utah at the Sawmill Canyon Fire
We came home to Cedar only to witness the Mill Flat Fire come off the hill into the town of New Harmony... tragic
We have spent the past 12 days going from a managed Mill Flat Fire for Resource Benefit... to a Type III team... to a Type I team... now back to a Type III team... we are hoping to assist in putting the final nail on the coffin of the Mill Flat Fire, over the next few days.

We are 16 days from the end of the contract with Hillsboro... potentially 16 days from the closeout of the season for us... It has been a slow, and yet somehow very long season!

Cheers,
M.L.

Deepest Sympothies

2009-08-10T20:44:00.000-07:00

Sorry no pictures this time around... just a quick mention and a heartfelt thought! Yesterday (Sunday the 9th) we responded to the park to assist in a Search and Recovery. A wife and mother fell unexpectedly to her death on the Angel's Landing trail. It was a rough day for the recovery team, overshadowed only by the thoughts of a husband and children that witnessed the event. I took several crewmembers in to assist with the carry-out... sombering event.

I would like to state that myself and the crew hurt for the family left behind. They have been in our thoughts and prayers!

It reminds me that life is fleeting... and it doesn't take a dangerous job, or a desire for adrenaline filled activities in order for a life to be taken unexpectedly. Simply enjoying life can sometimes sneak up on you and rob away the moments you thought would last. Please, take the time to share your feelings with those you care about... and don't spend your days angered by the little things that we can't control, rather spend time enjoying the little things that make you smile!

Live Life!!! Make a memory... and most important, Smile!

Deepest Sympothies...
M.L.

It's what we do...

2009-08-06T19:57:00.000-07:00

In our line of work (Helitack) there are times that we stay incredibly busy, barely able to keep ahead of the next request... and there are times that we must entertain ourselves, for fear of going insane from the mundane work that is our job. I have engaged in countless discussions in which people have thrown out the cliche joke "L.C.E.S. = Locate Cooler Establish Shade". Truely few people that have spent any time on an exclusive use initial attack helicopter crew, would argue that those men and women stuck on the Helibase wouldn't rather be up on the hill fighting the fire! But someone must support the aviation operations that have become essential in fighting fires...

That being said... as a fire heads into the mop-up stage, the days get very long at Helibase. Now, I can't divulge the names... and I dare not speak of the program... primarily out of respect! However, I couldn't resist sharing with you the way in which some crews pass the time when Helibase operations become slow...

This particular crew is making a music video, in which an unnamed... unidentified crewmember dances to the music while typical helitack operations occur in the background. We all had a really good laugh watching these helitack producers strut their stuff in front of the "skycrane" as it dipped out of the lake...

I am aware that those who are familiar with this crew will recognize them immediately... but then anyone who has spent time around this particular crew knows that this ongoing production is taking place... to the fear of their supervisor, it will most likely end up on YouTube...

If you would like to check out some more super funny videos created by super bored helitack crews... try visiting YouTube.com and searching Helitack Videos.

Until the next post... keep busy!

Managed Burn in Monticello/Moab

2009-06-27T12:59:00.000-07:00

The Monticello Burn required two helicopters. We utilized the Spec 2000 torches... this is saying a lot, as it has been 10 + years of modification to reach the successful use of these torches that we had.

We did a fair amount of recertification and training on day one... The picture above shows a trainee from Moab, filling the torch. The helicopters were coming in for a refill at a rate of one per every 6-8 minutes... it kept us hopping!

Hamm doesn't always like the many pictures taken of her... but she is always a good sport! This was a great shot of her giving me the, "not another Damn picture" look!

I love this picture... (above)... we have to placard the area where we vent the fuel fumes with a "no smoking" sign. It just so happens that the area overlooked the burn...

The parking tender awaiting the helicopter to land... so we could then move in and fill the torch!

Day Two... took us to Moab! Where we again utilized the Helitorch to light up some country. The second day was a little less complicated with only a fraction of the people and a single helicopter. The pilot struggled in the beginning to avoid tipping the torch... and his flight profile was a little choppy at first, but he kept it in the air and only got better as the day progressed.

I am not sure what Clint is describing here... but I thought his cotton shirt was fashionable and I couldn't resist the picture. Coveralls as a MixMaster are very hot... and in the Moab sun it was everyone's desire to avoid wearing them... try finding a long sleeve cotton shirt in Moab... people give you a weird look, to say the least. Thus the fashionable duds...

Iceman in the "Bannana Coveralls"... watching the handy work. It is always a good day when we can see the fruits of our efforts... Day 2 was definately more laid back than day 1....

This final picture sums up our three day trip... Linda took a moment to sit down, relax, and observe the show... this is something that doesn't happen often for the mixing crews on a Helitorch Helibase. It was a successful trip... we accomplished most of what was expected. I am excited for our next oportunity to support a managed burn via Helitorch... next time perhaps the whole crew can be there and our pilot can enjoy in some of the fun!

Cheers,

'Bout Time!

2009-06-20T13:52:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since our last post... Crew training is done! We went through Cargo Let Down recurrency, no issues. We have hosted our first group of detailers, and although we did not get any fires we spent a lot of time training... the two detailers who left this last week felt that the time spent on the crew was beneficial even though there wasn't any fires.

We accomplished a two day repeater project. Flying radio techs and equipment to the top of West Temple and Timber Top mountains. West Temple has a beautiful view of the main canyon in Zion, and is one of the highest points in Zion National Park. It is an isolated platuea on top of another platuea. It is possible to climb... however, few have the skill or time to do so. We choose to utilize the helicopter as an elevator to the top. Timber Top is one of the highest points overlooking Kolob. It is rather remote also... again, the helicopter makes sense!

Tomorrow, some of the crew will leave with the boss for Monticello Utah. The Manti-Lasal N.F. has a Prescribed Burn that will require Helitorch as the lighting method. We will be sure to update the blog next week upon the crews return... they have been instructed to take lots of pictures. This particular burn requires two helicopters, and a lot of Torch qualified people to make it all happen... our fingers are crossed that things will go well. Stay tuned for updates on this.

Outside of that... we have began a project cutting on a control line for the Pocket Mesa RX that we will do later this fall. The main canyon is providing most of the labor for the 3-4 miles of line that must be cut, however we have chipped in by sending 2-4 people each day for the past 2 or 3 days. It gets crew off of the base and helps with keeping sane...

speaking of sanity... it is slow! The season that is... the season is slow to begin! We have received a fair amount of moisture, but more than that the tempuratures have been cool and most days are overcast. There have been several small single tree fires on the district, but nothing they require our help to control. So it has been many long days at the yard for the helitack crew. Most projects are complete and finding things to keep us occupied and out of trouble are becoming harder and harder to find. We have instigated the 1600 ice cream social... all are welcome to join. I am not sure this is totally working... as Thea took on a challenge the other day at the social that tells us all we still have too much time on our hands. She deserves massive props for getting down 20 ice cream sandwiches in 20 minutes and keeping them down for another 10 minutes... she obtained a fair amount of cash, dinner, and a bottle of her choice for torturing herself like that. Mad Props!!!

The following picture sums up our days... we are hoping that the rainbow over the base is a sign of good things to come! Everyone should keep there fingers crossed for a little more fire activity. If not here in Color Country, than somewhere in the Nation that might call for some help.

"Have helicopter... will travel!"

Zion Grass RX

2009-05-24T11:10:00.001-07:00

On short notice, Helitack was invited down to the park in order to support the annual grass burn. I am pretty sure that most of the crew was glad to be free of the training for an afternoon, as we loaded the trucks to head South.

The backdrop for the grass burns was spectacular. It seemed as though the number of people on the burn was a little excessive for some of the units, but it paid to have the additional hands on other larger units we burned during the day.

Despite the lack of fast paced action, which usually comes with the suppression side of firefighting, the crew was enjoying the time out in the field doing something that resembles what they signed up to do... Thea had a hard time wiping the smile off of her face!

Most of the crew spent some time on the torch... a good refresher. No one likes the smell of a grass burn, the smoke stinks and burns the eye's and nose in a very noticeable way. It was good to stand in the smoke and break in the lungs for this 2009 season!

Just a little perspective on the beautiful grandier of Zion National Park... the picture below shows several members of the crew standing below the stone of Weeping Rock. You can't beet this... we get paid to do this stuff!

I'm sure that Thayer (Senior Lead) is sick of the photo sessions. The look on his face seems to say that once again he is wishing that the camera hadn't found his mug... The crew always seems to like the end of the year when we go through the pictures of the season... I'm sure Thayer will forgive the impromptu photograph.

Suerig (Lead Crewmember) enjoyed a moment of contemplation. Reality is... he too knows the camera is on him, and chooses to act as if he doesn't know he is being photographed. Both Leads enjoyed the opportunity to observe the crew and put into practice a few of the things that we have been training on for the past 10 days.

It was a great day... we enjoyed the work, the veiws, and each other! I think we are ready for the season... helicopter arrives on Monday and is on contract by Thursday of next week... Here we go!

Tom Green (Zion Engine Crew)... capped off the day with the ultimate pose of satisfaction. He is sporting the always fashionable weed eater... I am of the opinion that he enjoyed using that weed eater a little too much! Forget burning the grass... just set Tom loose with that machine and watch the progress made in mowing down the cheat grass! I appreciate Tom and his attitude towards having fun... he puts a smile on my face every time I'm around him.
Tom will be one of our first detailers to join the crew for a two week period this season... we look forward to him running with the crew for a couple of weeks!

Week 2... More Training!

2009-05-24T10:01:00.000-07:00

Week two of train-up was absolutely packed. We had the final member of the crew join our team. Thea arrived on Monday, and we introduced her to the park with the Fire Orientation Meeting and Bar-B-Que down at the park.

Tuesday, we did our fire refresher which included the Fire Shelter drill. Here are a couple of pictures of the crew during the Fire Shelter drill.

Each crew member takes the opportunity to practice deploying a practice fire shelter. The day cooperated well, winds were gusting at about 15-20mph which made for a more realistic deployment practice.

The crew gathered around one particular crew member that not only successfully deployed in a decent amount of time, but had a great seal... he set a great example of how it should be done.

We're glad to have Paul Damron back on the crew once again. He did a fabulous job during the shelter deployment drills...

We understand that deploying practice shelters on a lawn is not nearly realistic to what conditions will be like if it becomes necessary to utilize our shelters in the field, however the more repetitive the action is for the crew... the better prepared they should be to use the shelters if ever necessary. This is only the first of the shelter deployment practices we will have... these drills will be revisited throughout the season.

We followed shelter deployment with a team building P.T. The weight chase is a simple game, with simple rules. Two teams of equal size are created. The team members are bound together with a rope, which they are able to disconnect from if necessary. Each team member is handed a bag of weight... for this particular exercise it was 20 lbs per bag.

Each team starts on an opposite end of a course... then moving in the same direction they chase one-another until one team catches the other team. Simple.... right?

In the picture above you will notice that the teams have reduced in size... that is part of the rules and strategy of this game play. Each member has the option of dropping off the rope line if they feel their team will do better without them. They can do this but before doing so, them must hand their weight to another team member increasing that team members burden. In the picture above you will notice that team 1 is down to three... team 2 is down to two and moving in fast.The final shot of the race.... as one team catches the other... in the background you will see that those who have dropped out from exhaustion or strategy, are rooting their team on!

It was 50 push-ups for the losing team... but as you can see, on Zion Helitack we are not a group of teams... we are one team!

The season is off to a great start... the crew making it through week 2 of train-up! Only one more week to go prior to the ship coming on. The projects are starting to stack up, and the weather is looking promising for a busy season. As always, we'll be ready!

Week 1 Photo's.... Enjoy!

2009-05-16T08:50:00.000-07:00

Paul Damron, pictured above, moves in for the kill! He is sporting the ever popular Tri-Max 3 Compressed Air Foam (CAF) Extinguisher... all joking aside, it was a great day to light up some barrels and put out some fire during extinguisher training. The guys had a lot of fun... That is pretty evident by the look on Norman "Iceman" Allen's face in the picture below...

Paul and Ice decided to get into an extinguisher war... Tri-Max CAF against the tried and true ABC Purple K extinguisher... This was the next best thing following nailing each other with the extinguishers... which the boss (me) put a stop to early on! My dad used to have a fabulous saying,"A boy is a boy, two boys are only half a boy, and three boys aint no boy at all" These guys definately became half a boy while playing with "big boy" toys... but having fun is the best way to learn!

Ben Suerig (lead crewmember) had to jump in and have a little fun himself... you can only watch the fun for so long without having to join in with this crew!

We also did some time staring at maps and trying to orient compases... not an extremely exciting picture... but for the record, we did do some mentally stimulating math during our map & compass training!

The "Cap" to the whole 1st week was a friday full of Physical Fitness testing... of the morning we did our 1.5 mile run, pull ups, push ups, & sit ups... The afternoon brought us the Pack-out! In my opinion both Ben Suerig (below) and Ben Thayer (2 below) are way to happy as they wait to begin the Pack-out...

I was hoping to wipe those smiles off their faces as we began the Pack-out... but as you can see below, they still had their smiling faces about them as they motored through the 3 mile timed event.

The two leads led the day... finishing with a time that is near Pack Test pace... only 50 minutes for them to go 3 miles with 85 pound packs on their back! They liked wearing the packs sooo much that they even lingered in the parking lot for a minute or two before dropping the packs after the testing....

Even the boss seemed to be smiling as we powered through... although if you look closely you'll notice it is more of a grimace than a smile! Let me just say that the thumbs up on my part was simply a mind game I was playing with myself... the pain had definately set in by this lap... was that lap 8 or lap 9... I think I've lost count!

Speaking of losing count... the picture below is the crew rallying around me to see me across the finish line. It wasn't until later that I was informed that either by mistake or for the joke of it all (stories seem to differ on this point) I was given the wrong number of laps starting on around lap 8... I was just tired enough not to pay attention... and thus did an extra lap! So I may not have been the fastest... but I went the furthest!

Some may be asking about the track thing... as a crew we like to do the first couple of pack-outs on a track where people can monitor their pace... and we are close enough to respond if someone is having trouble medically... by week three of train up we will be doing typical terrain pack-outs where we don't time the event, but rather just look for everyone to complete it. Typical terrain is difficult... navigating various elevation changes, brush, and loose footing... I am looking forward to torchering the crew with that one.

Side Note - the bags we are packing are not the typical pack-out bags that most rappel crews utilize... however they are Metoleous haul bags that we use in our Cargo Let Down... I wanted to see if they would work for our long pack outs... we came to the conclusion that they are not the most comfortable thing to wear, however would work in a pinch to get your gear off the hill! My butt is very sore this morning as I sit writing this... the damn pack rubbed me raw! (no pictures will follow that commentary :)

Until next week... I am going to enjoy a couple of deserved days off!

Cheers,

Week 1 - Train-Up!

2009-05-13T17:07:00.000-07:00

Just keeping you informed -

P.T. (physical training)

Monday - Pack Test & 2 mile run

Tuesday - Fire-Fit training which included 1.5 mile run / push-ups / sit-ups / various planks / stretch testing / grip testing / vertical leap / and more & Hose Pull Circuits (we did 3 rounds)

Wednesday - Power Hike

Thursday - C-Trail Power Hike (4 miles & 2,000 feet elevation gain)

Friday - P.T. Standards (1.5 mile run, push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups & 85 lb timed pack-out)

Training

Monday - Gear Checkout & SOP's

Tuesday - PPE (care & fitting), Tool Maintenance & Driving Training

Wednesday - Map & Compass, Lat / Long's & GPS Use

Thursday - Fire Extinguishers, Radios, I.A. / Dispatch Procedures & Crash Rescue

Friday - Sand Table Exercises, Facility Maintenance, & ????

The crew is definately feeling the pain, but doing well! We haven't confused anyone too badly and no injuries with the P.T. We hope to amp it up next week to another level... I'm sure the crew isn't looking forward to that! It's all for the good of being safe, efficient, and injury free!

I'll post again next week!

Cooper Knoll RX

2009-05-13T16:36:00.000-07:00

We were invited to assist the Forest Service in accomplishing some more acres on the Cooper RX, which has been an ongoing prescribed burn plan for many seasons now. On the day we went out, there weren't a lot of resources available. Two heavy engines off the Dixie N.F., several members from the Cedar City Shot crew, some miscellaneous overhead, and myself and the two leads off of Zion Helitack.

We accomplished approximately 30 acres. It was a slow go burn... the idea being that we wanted to get rid of the ground litter and dead debris, take out most of the sage brush, however leave the Ponderosa and other trees in place. We had to take it slow... as you can see from the pictures, even taking it slow wasn't enough to avoid the occasional tree torching out.

Overall it was a successful day... with relatively few resources we accomplished a decent number of acres, given the terrain and fuel type we were dealing with. We enjoyed getting back into the swing of things... Helitack spent the day on torches lighting, and occasionally helping to hold what fire we had on the ground.
At the end of the day we were tired... smelled like smoke... and were anxious for the fire season to begin.

Since the burn (May 4th), most of the crew has come on. We have spent the last 3 days pounding out the miles in P.T. I am sure I speak for most of the crew when I say there are some sore muscles and plenty of blisters, and everyone will be glad to see the 1st week of train-up behind them as we head into the weekend.

Only one crewmember still remains to join up with us... She will be here on Monday! That will complete all of the crewmembers that are returning this season. I hope that this Cooper Knoll RX is a good sign of the type of fire season we have ahead of ourselves...

Cheers,

Welcome Back

2009-05-10T20:30:00.000-07:00

Crew starts tomorrow... May 11th! I'll report back soon enough to let you know how things are progressing. Sounds like we will be spending some time down at the park completing grass burns for several days, week 1. Stay Tuned...

The Drop Zone 2008!

2009-05-01T19:42:00.000-07:00

It is great to see the various methods by which aviation helps to conquer our wildland fires today...

I wished to post this video in order to remind all of us firefighters that there are a group of men and women that pilot these aircraft, whom take their job as seriously as we do... they often don't receive much in the way of "Thanks" from us, as they are hear and then gone again! In light of the recent crash of a firefighting Tanker (P2V) in Utah... and to the many other men and women who have lost their lives in aviation incidents, I say "Thank You" and God Bless!

Another Crew Update!

2009-05-01T18:34:00.000-07:00

We are only a week away from the crew arriving at the base in numbers! The Lead's have been frantically preparing for the first three weeks of train-up that will begin on May 11th! We are down in numbers this season... Alicia Tanrath (Assistant Helitack Supervisor) is still battling medical issues resulting from her Helicopter crash nearly 3 years ago. She will be working with the heavy helicopter from HTI... a part of the Big 34 exclusive national ships... it is a skycrane that will be based in Cedar City, but be available for National deployment! Lacey Crawford will also not be joining us this season. Unexpected to her and us, she needed to decline her position this season due to some personal issues... She hopes to rejoin the crew as an A.D. if needed towards the end of the season, or possibly next year when life challenges finally allow her to do so. So below is the updated list of crewmembers that will be joining us this season... what is not listed is the names of those who will be filling our two detailer slots throughout the year. As I mentioned in an earlier post, we have two slots for detailers each pay period. The applications for those slots are coming in fast... so if you are interested, please contact our Senior Lead Crewmember (Ben Thayer) his contact info is listed below...

Michael Reid (Supervisor)
Ben Thayer (Senior Lead)
Ben Suerig (Lead)
Norman "Iceman" Allen ( Senior FFT)
Thea Hamm (Senior FFT)
Chris Jensen (Crewmember)
Paul Damron (Crewmember)
Todd Bevans (Crewmember)

We are excited to invite Hillsboro Aviation back for their 4th season with Zion Helitack. We are also excited to have Nicole Ludwig back as our Pilot and her sidekick Randy Tatton as our Fuel Driver. Helicopter 420RL will return as well, completing the team!

Zion Crewmembers!...
a note of warning to those of you returning to and joining our crew over the next couple of weeks. Come ready to work! I expect that you will start on day one with Physical Training... you should arrive at work in your P.T. clothing ready for a solid 3-4 mile run... needless to say we will "hit the ground running" right off the bat! You can expect two-a-day P.T.'s for the first three weeks that you are on... prior to the ship arriving on the 28th of this month! If you haven't started getting in shape already... I feel for you, but it doesn't change that we will push you and push hard... So drink plenty of water over the next week... and prepare yourself mentally, It's time to step up to the challenge of getting ready for another season.

Cheers,

Ben Thayer / Senior Lead Crewmember
435-865-4642

First Fire!

2009-05-01T18:26:00.000-07:00

We always wait for that one defining moment to give us hope that fire season is just around the corner. This year that moment came early! Late April brought us a 35 acre fire just south of the Park. It was located in the newly designated wilderness area of the BLM land which is above an area called the "Eagle Crags". Very rough country that is difficult to get into unless you truely know where you are going.

We brought in a helicopter from Sundance, out of Las Vegas, that assisted in delivering firefighters to the fire. It was intense on day one, but quickly fizzled in the cool evening temperatures (understandable for April). The burn was due to low moisture levels in the dormant brush models. Most of the grass is in green-up now... so I don't expect too many fires until a dryer weather pattern hits us (probably in June). However, this could be foreboding of a very good season for Color Country!

Stay Tuned...

Side Note: If you are a member of Zion Helitack or simply have an interest in how our season is progressing I urge you to become a fan of this sight... there should be a link below our "followers" application that will allow you to follow what is happening. I would encourage anyone who is on the crew and has a family member that would like to know what is happening with you during the season, that they too become followers of this sight! I will update the sight nearly weekly (as fires allow) once the season begins!

Cheers,

Detailers

2009-04-07T13:31:00.000-07:00

We often get asked the question, " do you take detailers"? The answer is yes! We have a very structured detailer program set up for the 2009 season. We will start taking on detailers at the beginning of June (around pay period 13). We have 2 slots for each pay period! Each detail is a 14 day opportunity to engage in the activities and training that Zion Helitack is also engaged in. It is an opportunity for those who are working on Position Task Books, to accomplish some of the training needed to sign those PTB's off. Whether you are looking to get experience as a Helicopter crewmember, Helicopter Manager, or Incident Commander... chances are good that you will get most if not all of the experience you need in order to qualify at that position.

We spend our days waiting for the fire call! However, waiting does not mean sitting around. When not on fire assignment we keep very busy doing cutting projects, resource managment work, Search and Rescue (as needed), and a lot of training. Our days are usually very full of activity. Even if you detail onto the crew and we don't see a single fire, there is a very good chance that you will gain a signature on many of your experience blocks in the PTB as we will design a training schedule around your needs.

If you are interested in getting a Detailer slot for the 2009 season there are a few things you need to do. First you will need to contact us to obtain an application and supervisor permission form. you can do that by e-mailing our senior lead crewmember, Ben Thayer at the following address (ben_thayer@nps.gov). Second you are going to need the permission of your supervisor. He/she will need to approve the travel and additional costs that may be associated with your trip to Cedar City Utah. Not to mention the time away from your own crew - remember we are looking for a 2-week detail. Third, if you are not a HECM or HECM trainee you will need to get to the class and become one... we don't teach the Helicopter Crewmember class during the two weeks you are detailed with us.

We are looking for a strong group of highly motivated individuals looking to keep current or gain qualifications in the aviation world... come enjoy a two week roll with us!

Again please contact Ben Thayer with any questions you may have:

Ben Thayer
Senior Lead Crew
435-865-4642
ben_thayer@nps.gov (there is an underscore between ben and thayer, don't leave it out)

Cheers,

Hiring is done!

2009-04-07T13:02:00.000-07:00

Every year it seems that the challenge for management is to pick through the many applicants and find the right candidate to fill only a handful of positions. Sometimes we do a great job, and other times we find ourselves lacking. Only time will tell whether this years batch of selected candidates will live up to the challenges which will face them on Zion Helitack. It is often times fairly easy to seperate the many applications according to qualifications. The more difficult thing to do is determine work ethic and personality. The 2008 season brought us a large group of new recruites, all of whom worked very well together. We didn't lose to many for the 2009 season.

We restructured the crew slightly. This has been an ongoing effort for nearly 3 years. Looking for the right mix of permanent supervisory positions and seasonal slots. We also took a good look at what other helitack crews were doing and did our best to match that. The Region, has finally designed a standard module based on many of the things we were already pushing for. In the end we took a small step which will lead to much greater efficiency and ability of the crew.

The crew is made up of the following:
Crew Supervisor - GS-9 (Permanent Full Time)
Asst Crew Sup. - GS-8 (Permanent Full Time)
Senior Lead Crew - GS-7 (Permanent Subject to Furlough)
Lead Crew - GS-6 (Permanent Subject to Furlough)
Senior Firefighter / HECM- GS-5 (Seasonal)
Senior Firefighter / HECM - GS-5 (Seasonal)
Firefighter / HECM - GS-4 (Seasonal)
Firefighter / HECM - GS-4 (Seasonal)
Firefighter / HECM - GS-4 (Seasonal)
Firefighter / HECM - GS-3/4 (Seasonal)

We have several positions that are co-funded by the U.S. Forest Service Dixie National Forest and by the B.L.M. Cedar City District. We are a true interagency crew, serving all lands within the Color Country area. This season, due to the new strategy and make-up of the crew, we did not fill very many positions. In fact, only one crewmember will be new to us this season. Everyone else is a returning crewmember from last season, or seasons past. The following people will join Zion Helitack this season whether new or returning!

Michael Reid
Alicia Tanrath
Ben Thayer
Ben Suerig
Norm "Iceman" Allen
Thea Hamm
Chris Jensen
Lacey Crawford
Todd Bevans
Paul Damron

So welcome back everyone...

The season is just around the corner, and hiring is finally done. We will begin training soon! Stay tuned for updates and training schedules.

Cheers,

"Slingin' Poo"

2009-02-23T17:28:00.000-08:00

Well we accomplished our first helicopter project of the season, last Friday (Feb 20th). You know how some days you feel as though you have done nothing but deal with "Crap" all day long. Well in this case, that is exactly what we delt with. Our job was to fly 12 barrels of human waste from Scouts Lookout toilets down to Big Bend turnout. The 55 gallon drums are rigged with a special clamp that allows them to be hooked to the helicopters remote hook. It required a 100' long line to get into the area safetly. Here you can see the helicopter decending down to our location at the turnout, hauling a drum full of waste...

Once down at the turnout... it was up to a waste pumper truck to suck the barrels dry. We did our best to keep our distance during this operation. Once those lids were removed from the barrel, the smell permiated the area... some found no problem eating their lunches during this process, I on the other hand had a hard time keeping my lunch down... if you know what I mean!

The barrels are brightly labeled for all to see... I am curious how much they pay the employee that must shovel the waste into the barrels? That is a job that could possibly be left for the person that draws the short stick... Kudo's to the trail crew in Zion National Park for their work in accomplishing this task

In the end... it was a successful project! We brought down 12 barrels of human waste... and flew 18 cleaned out barrels back up to Scouts Lookout, where they will await the mass crowds who will visit Angels Landing this season. So if you have ever wondered how we get all of that "Crap" out of the toilets and off the hill... now you know!

It was a gorgeous day in the park... we are appreciative to Sundance Helicopters out of Las Vegas Nevada and their flight crew which made this project possible. In talking with the pilot he now has something new to add to the list of his aviation accomplishments. I believe the saying of the day was "Same old shit... different day"! I couldn't agree more... what a way to kick off the season.

cheers,

M.L.

Fitness Standards

2009-01-23T15:31:00.000-08:00

The history of Zion Helitack is rather short in comparison to many outstanding programs that have been in existance for a lot longer. It takes several years for a program to evolve, and grow into something worthwhile. Often times there are set backs in the forward progression of a crew, as management moves on or attrition happens in key crewmember positions. In time, and with the proper direction and effort by management, a program finds its niche and a voice. By this I mean that a good program is well established in it's capabilities, it finds a niche amongst a sea of many programs filling many roles within our wildland fire community. It also finds a voice, it speaks to a certain type of firefighters. When talking about Helitack, most understand that there are many roles that a crew can fulfill in support of wildland fire. Some crews specialize in large helibase support. This takes a certain type of individual to be able to fulfill the needs of running a large helibase efficiently and safely without losing your mind or becoming complacent during, what can be, long hours of being idle. In a similar fashion, some crews are excellent Initial Attack crews. They spend their days also waiting and training for the moment the fire call comes. These days can often times be tough on the moral, and despite best efforts to remain alert and ready, most crews struggle with not letting their gaurd down... but when that fire call comes, these crews are quick to respond and typically ready for the fast paced action of Initial Attack. There are still yet many crews that specialize in other aspects of aviation support, and many crews that are at home doing a combination of many things. The point being that there are many crews, all called Helitack, which have varied missions and different focuses. If you are looking to join a Helitack crew, or perhaps have been a crewmember for some time, you need to know that each crew has a personality and a focus. It is important to know that not all crews are alike in what they do or the roles they play.

Zion Helitack is proud to be a contributer to the various roles that a Helitack crew provides. We spend hours each year providing support on Helibases, prescribed fire, doing aerial ignition, search and rescue, resource management projects, GIS missions, and many other aspects of aerial support in wildland fire. However, in the end we are an exclusive use Initial Attack crew! We spend most of our time preparing for and executing Initial Attack of small fires within and around our coverage area. In order to be good at what we do, the members of Zion Helitack realize that two things are essential. They must be in great physical condition, and they must keep their minds sharp and attention focused.

So what are the expectations for crewmembers on Zion Helitack? In order to be hired into a crewmember position, applicants need at least some experience on wildland fires. They need to have their basic training as a FFT2 completed. This typically occures within a single season of fighting fire on an engine or with a squad / hand crew. Interested firefighters do not have to be helicopter crewmembers. We will put our "rookies" through initial HECM training. Applicants that are excepted need to be able to and achieve successful completion of the "Work Capacity Test" at the arduous level. Commonly known as the "Pack Test". Pass a physical and possible drug testing and you have completed all the requirements for being on the crew... On Zion Helitack, as with other crews, we strive for more than just these basics...

Initial Attack Standards for Zion Helitack are as follows:

Physical Standards - 1.5 mile run in 11:00 minutes or less / 45 sit ups in one minute / 25 push ups in one minute / 7 pull ups done consecutively / 85 pound pack out 3 miles over level terrain in 90 minutes or less / successful completion of the WCT at the arduous level.
Additional Standards - crewmembers must commit to memory the "10 Standard Firefighting Orders" and recite any given order upon request from management.

We take very seriously our ability to attack wildfires in a quick and efficient manner. We are often landing on fires in some of the most rugged and unforgiveable country in Southern Utah. We are committed to everyone coming home safely and uninjured. This can only be accomplished if our crewmembers are in the peak of their physical condition and are trained well in tactics that will keep them safe on the fire line. We do not make our Initial Attack Standards part of the hiring criteria, however we do give preference of who gets what assignment to those that meet the Initial Attack Standards. This simply means that if you fail to achieve the high standards as stated above, and others on the crew do... you may find yourself driving the chase vehicles more often than you find yourself flying on I.A. It may seem like a harsh judgement to make, but in the end these standards are set to keep our crew safe and free from injury. We expect 110% of our crewmembers! For those that achieve such, we reward them highly with opportunities, growth, and shared achievements that are often recognized not only by Zion Helitack Management but many others outside of the crew.

A closing note: I hope that those looking for a position with Zion Helitack this year, have had the opportunity to submit an application to USAJOBS! I am unsure of the openings that will be available at this time, but hope to start our hiring process within the next few weeks. If you have questions about the crew or the hiring process don't hesitate to call Zion Helitack Management (435/865/4640). If you have not yet submitted an application, it is most likely too late for this season. We typically accept our new "rookies" from the group of applicants who get their resume's online before the first cut-off date. That date was January 20th. Please feel free to give us a call and discuss next years opportunities, if you missed this cut-off date, but there are few possibilities for us to accept applications for the 2009 fire season after this date has passed. To everyone else who has applied and are hopeful for a position, my recommendation would be to start your physical training program now... Should you be given a position with our crew, we will expect you to be in top physical condition.

Cheers,
M.L.

1st Firefighter Fatality of 2009

2009-01-15T20:53:00.000-08:00

It seems to be inevitable each season. Although as a community of professionals we would like to think that the ability to see our way through a wildfire season without a single fatality is achievable, the reality remains that fighting fires is dangerous. It isn't always the fire that claims the life, but it seems that more often than not it is the fire which is a contributing factor to the loss of life. The first fatality of 2009 is not different. Our condolences go out to the survivors and family of the firefighter whom has lost his life in this horrific incident. It is our hope that we, as a community of firefighters, can take a moment to recognize the contributions of a fallen firefighter. May this fatality cause all of us to pause, if only for a moment, to consider our actions and the situations we are asked to engage in. It is our hope that we will continue to respect the dangerous nature of our jobs, and take the necessary precautions to ensure that we remain safe this 2009 fire season.

Name: John C. Myers
Rank: Firefighter/Mechanic
Age: 61
Gender: Male
Status: Volunteer
Years of Service: 6
Date of Incident: 01/03/2009
Time of Incident: 1533hrs
Date of Death: 01/03/2009
Fire Department: Union Chapel Volunteer Fire Department

Incident Description: Firefighter John C. Myers passed away from injuries received in a motor vehicle accident while working at the scene of an outdoor grass fire.

Myers was operating a fire department vehicle and traveling south on County Road Wesley, near the Pittsburg County line (OK), when his son, Firefighter Juston Myers, also working the fire and operating a privately owned vehicle heading north on CR Wesley, crossed left of center on the narrow gravel road in heavy smoke obstructed conditions and collided head on with the fire department vehicle his father was driving.

Personnel from several fire departments in the area worked for more than an hour and a half to free Firefighter John C. Myers from the wreckage. Firefighter Juston Myers and a passenger in the privately owned vehicle were both injured in the accident. Juston was treated at the scene and his passenger, Clayton Rice, was taken to a nearby hospital with head, leg and arm injuries.

Incident Location: On County Road Wesley, USNG: 15S TU 3497 3518 (6.67km due east of US Hwy 69), Atoka County, OK.

Map View:
http://floridadisaster.org/gis/kml/viewer.htm?zoom=15&usng=15STU34973518&disp=h

Seatbelts: Equipped and not in use both vehicles.

This is the first US wildland fire fatality for 2009.

News:

http://www.mcalesternews.com/homepage/local_story_005110945.html?keyword=leadpicturestory

Job Openings!

2008-12-05T14:11:00.000-08:00

Well, it is that time of the year again. While it is still an unknown as to how many of our 2008 crewmembers might return for another season with Zion Helitack, we must press forward in recruiting the next generation of Zion Helitack crewmembers. Those that wish to apply for a seasonal position on Zion Helitack may do so by following the directions below:

Go to: www.usajobs.com

On this page there are two ways to find us... in the middle of the page next to large lettering that says "Search Jobs" there sits two boxes. One is for the job title (Ignore It). The second is for an address/agency - you can type in 84720 and hit search... you will then have to scroll through several pages until you find the following job announcment DOI-FIRE-2009-003 next to it will be the words National Park Service, Cedar City

you may also do this the simplified way...

Go to: www.usajobs.com

On this page there are several tabs at the top of the page... the first tab is "search jobs" next to it is "my usajobs", "info center" etc... click on the first tab that says "search jobs". The page that comes up next will have a box at the top that says "Keyword"- in this box type the following job announcement number DOI-FIRE-2009-003 and hit enter or search. This will take you to a page with a few similar looking announcements. Once in the announcement for Cedar City, Zion National Park... follow the directions. Be certain that you select Cedar City NPS as a choice when you voice where you want to apply.

Now - a couple of things to keep in mind. I believe the 1st cut off for applications is January 20th. You must have your application in by that time if you wish Zion Helitack to consider you. Second, take some time with your application... we are not the only people that look at the applications and rate them. Don't be mistaken that you can make a phone call and talk directly to myself or my assistant, and that this will take the place of a good application. It does not! I do encourage phone calls to learn about the program and ensure that we are the program for you, however... in the end it is the application and your references that will win you a position on the crew... so take some time in filling out the application, and put some thought into your references.

I will be posting later today, a detailed look into the crew and what you can expect. Or I suggest you look through our past posts to learn a little about us.

Good Luck... we look forward to seeing your applications.
Cheers, ML

Fallen Firefighters

2008-11-23T15:22:00.000-08:00

Every year despite ongoing efforts, we lose lives to the fighting of wildfires. Some lives are lost to freak accidents that many say were unforeseeable, other lives are lost because of mistakes made... foreseeable and preventable if only we as a society could learn lessons from the past. We are supposed to be devoting our efforts as supervisors to ensuring the safety of those whom put their trust in us, both on and off the line. I think if you were to ask most any supervisor, he or she would tell you that they are doing their best. Doing their best to ensure that those young men and women that work for them are given the best training, the safest equipment, and the guidance that will keep them from becoming a fatality. My question is this... if we are doing our best, why do we continue to lose firefighters to mistakes made that could have been foreseen or prevented? Is our best good enough, and when do we know that we have reached our best? I don't know that I have the answers... I don't know if anyone has the answers. If the answers to those questions were obvious, then I'd like to think we would do something to change the future based on the past... I know that we are trying, but as the great Yoda once said,"Try not, do or do not. There is no try". Isn't that the truth? No such thing as trying... you either accomplish what you set out to do, or you fail... and don't get me wrong, failure isn't all that bad. As long as you learn from your failures, they can be looked upon as success. I should restate that... As long as we all learn from one another's failures, we can be successful.

Following any fatality, there is an investigation. Most investigations talk about the same old thing... here is what went wrong, and this is what was ignored from lessons previously learned. I agree that often in fatalities on the line it is easy to see causation... however, none of us have a crystal ball that will show us the results at the end of the path we choose to go down. However, we should not be making mistakes that someone else has already made... especially when such mistakes lead to lives being lost.

In 2006, on the Devils Den Fire, I lost a very good friend. Following the investigation, there were lessons to be learned... many of which were lessons that had been taught due to other fatality fires. I made the decision, following the summer of 2006, that I would no longer wait for someone else to do their part in teaching the next generation of firefighters how to be safe. I'm sure that some of you understand what I am talking about... If the district didn't organize a staff ride to visit a fatality fire, then my crew went without. I often times would take for granted that the course I just sent my crewmembers to, had all the essential information that they needed to learn about the subject and how to remain safe. This often went unchecked by me... I did not take the time to quiz my crewmembers about the things they should have gotten out of the course. If there is a lesson that I have gotten from the death of my friend, it is that I have the power and resources to teach the next generation of firefighters the lessons that they should learn. I don't presume to know it all... non of us really do! But what I do know will no longer be kept just in my minds vault, but will be shared with anyone who will take the time and interest to learn from me and those who have lost their lives.

Last season I took my crew to the site where my good friend lost his life... It was my first return to the location in nearly two years, and it was emotional. I know that both the new and seasoned crewmembers on my crew had some level of reservation about visiting the site... One thing about most firefighters is that we don't wish to be reminded of our mortality. However, I think that reminders of such mortality is important.

The climb to the fatality site overlook, at Devils Den, is no small feet. In this picture you can see that the crew is trekking their way up the steep and rocky slopes far above the valley floor. I think this difficult climb helped make visiting the site more impactful than it might have been. It also keeps the general public from making the trek. It is important to myself that those whom visit this site, really desire to do so... It is not a climb for the faint at heart, or those who are looking for a easy afternoon stroll... Only those looking to visit the site, with strong conviction to do so, will actually make it to the top.

Once at the top... you can still see the evidence of the raging fire and the destruction done. There is also a subtle evidence of the battle waged. In the picture below you can still see the faint red trace of slurry coating the rocks, as a crewmember reflects on what was happening the day my friend lost his life.

There was a lot of reflection going on that day. I was not the only one that had a connection to the friend that lost his life. It was a day for some to tell stories of the man he was, and the lessons he taught... still for others it was an introduction to a brave and seasoned firefighter that lost his life. It is my hope that lessons were learned by all on this day, by making the trip to the Devils Den fatality site and telling the story of the battle that took place on this ground.

Spencer lost his life on August 17th in 2006, on the Devils Den fire in Central Utah. I have learned many lessons from this fatality fire. Perhaps one may argue that the lessons were learned for me, due to my close ties to Spencer. I suppose that there is truth in that... I found myself reflecting back on the times that I had done what Spencer did that day. I am saddened to say that it took the loss of a good friend for me to realize that those stories of lost firefighters were not so distant... and the possibility of me making similar mistakes was real! I don't take that for granted any longer... and if there was a true lesson to be learned from me, it is that we are all a part of this family! I don't have to know the person on a level like I did Spencer, in order for the lesson to be validated. I am looking back on lessons learned from other fatality fires with a new understanding of just how close those people were to me... and just how easily those individuals could have been me!

In the end it was a great day... despite some somber moments, the crew enjoyed the day. Smiles still remained at the end of the day... and now the crew had something to bind them together, an experience that only they shared with one another. Just as I write about it now, there is a feeling that I can't put into words what any of us felt as we visited that site together.

I spent some time at the end of the season talking with each of my crewmembers. I asked them about the things that went well, and the things that needed improvement... as most supervisors do. I also wanted to know about what was memorable for them, and for most... it was the time spent at the beginning of the season on the hill at Devils Den. I expect that Zion Helitack will continue to start our seasons off with such trips to important battlegrounds where lessons were learned... are learned!

Never stop teaching... lives depend on it! There is a moment for teaching in everything we do... and though the crew may roll their eyes and say,"here he goes again", I know that they appreciate the lessons from the past and the time spent teaching them. So be a teacher... share what you know... and maybe someday, we'll stop repeating the mistakes made and avoid taking the paths that lead to undesirable endings.

Cheers,

Puma RX - Bryce Canyon N.P.

2008-10-08T18:08:00.000-07:00

We had a fairly good season in light of it being a slow year for fire and aviation. One of the projects tackled this year by resource management was the Puma prescribed burn at Bryce Canyon National Park. The intent of the burn was to change the vegetation model to something that would not support a running crown fire... thus providing the visitors at Bryce Canyon a small (some day unseen) buffer, should a fire threaten the park from the West. It was a large undertaking, that took a lot of planning on the behalf of park fire management.

We became a large part of what was going to take place. Many days of preparation by ground crews led to a couple of good photo ops, as we burned both by ground and air. As time would permit I snapped these photographs of the events taking place...

Enjoy...

This picture captures a small glimpse of the vegetation model that needed to be modified, and the spectacular veiw from our staging area.

So following a day or two of black lining... in order to be able to hold the ignition that would take place from the air... we were off of Bryce Canyon airport, and the PSD operations were underway. This is a good picture of the PSD (Premo Mark III) in action... if you look closely between the step and the helicopter you'll notice a small white ping pong ball, full of its explosive combination of Potasium Premagnate and Ethylene Glycol (anti-freeze), making its way to the ground in anticipation of fire...

Jay Lusher (Grand Canyon) and Nicole Ludwig (Pilot), talked their way through the ignition paterns. It didn't take very long before we had several lines begining to form on the ground, as illistrated in the picture above... I believe Nicole was checking her work, as we waited to see if the fire would take.

... And the fire did take. With the assistance of ground lighters and the right conditions, we had fire! I love the contrast of this picture... the beautiful scenery of Bryce Canyon and equally beautiful scenery (at least in my eyes) of smoke rising from the ground fire we just started.

My dad used to tell me that there was a little bit of a "Pyro" in every firefighter... the fascination of watching fire and smelling the smoke runs in every career firefighters blood. So with that being said, it's no wonder that maybe we put a little too much fire down in some areas. This is evident by the intense heat pictured above... (Disclaimer - we accomplished what was expect and we did so without the fire escaping parameters or exceeding prescription)

I like this photo a lot... the picture of the helicopter leaving behind what it has started.

... There I am! Hanging out with the machine in the back of the helicopter. This is my favorite place to be... no presure to make good decisions as an Ignition Specialist in the front seat, and of course I couldn't fly the ship if I wanted to... I don't posses those types of skills! I am just the "On" and "Off" switch for the machine. Still a vital component to the whole operation, but in a way I am just hanging in my own little world back there...

At times it is good for the pilot to be able to achieve a veiw of where she is flying and what is going on down below... can't do that too well with a door on! She is of course belted into the front seat... we can't afford to have her fall out of the helicopter.

At the end of the day we arrive back at Bryce Canyon airport to admire the work of all involved, from afar... it was pretty impressive for a small prescribed burn.

It should be said that prescribed burning is an essential part of managing our public lands... I would much rather start a fire under controlled conditions with all the needed support in place, than to arrive on a wildfire with too little and be too late to catch it and keep it from destroying the land. We saw fires like this in Yellowstone many years back, and still today as I visit... the damage done by those fires is evident and long lasting. This is why prescribed fire and wildfire use is sooooo important. I know that there are many controversal cases where prescribed fire has gotten out of control and done damage that was not planned for or expected... but there are more success stories than there are disasters. I hope that our land managers will continue to use Fire Use and Prescribed Fire in order to allow mother nature to do what she has naturally done for thousands of years.

That beings said... it was a lot of fun to hang out of the helicopter and lighting up a few thousand acres doing PSD... a true highlight of my summer!

Always a pleasure, Cheers...

Cargo Let Down Training...

2008-10-04T11:39:00.000-07:00

It's time to play catch up on the blog... currently the weather outside is cold and a slight drizzle has begun, signs of the impending end of the fire season for Zion Helitack. You may wonder if the ship is still here... the answer is yes! We are in a contract extension that looks like it will continue to the end of next week around the 12th of October. As I wait for word on a possible SAR in the park (lost party in the Subway), I though why not post some of what happened this season.

We started the year excited about the approval to gain Cargo Let Down as a tool for our program. It took a little bit of coordinating, but we finally got Jay Lusher (CLD Check Spotter from Grand Canyon) and Maria Mancano (AMD Check Pilot) to come spend a couple of days training the crew. Following are a couple of pictures of the training that took place.

Of course the first thing that must be done is the rigging of the helicopter... for the rookies, that we are, this takes a little bit of time... and as you can see the blades are turning which adds to the stress of doing things efficiently and yet proper and safe.

Following proper rigging there is a so called "song and dance" that occures over the intercom system, between the pilot and the spotter. During training both the Check Spotter and Check Pilot are also on board to help train the pilot and spotter in the proper verbage... following a short exchange the helicopter lifts... We elected to train in two methods of Cargo Let Down (CLD)... the 1st being shown here is an external CLD. This means that the cargo is rigged to the outside of the helicopter and flown in such manner until over the intended spot to receive the cargo.

Once above the location that has been chosen by both pilot and spotter, the pilot manuevers through small adjustments and the direction of the spotter to fine tune the placement of the cargo. In an external load... the spotter prepares the load to be released, however it is the pilot that releases the load by triggering the belly hook. Once the load has been released from the belly hook, it is up to the spotter to control the decent of the cargo to the ground. Following the cargo reaching the ground the let down line is also thrown to the ground and the helicopter can fly away having succesfully delivered the cargo.

Another method that we trained with is that of doing internal cargo let down. This is where the cargo to be delivered is internal in the helicopter.

You can see in the picture above that the spotter is directing the pilot into place above the end of the rainbow... and there is no visible cargo hanging from the bottom of the helicopter. They are preparing to do internal cargo let down.

Once the pilot is in place the spotter will move the cargo to the door and jettison it out of the helicopter. Then the spotter will move to the controled decent portion of the Cargo Let Down evolution.... hoping to place the cargo where intended.

It looks as though the spotter has nearly reached the ground where the end of the rainbow sits...

All in all... it was a lot of good training and we were given the thumbs up to use CLD as a tool for inserting cargo. It was a couple of years in the preparing and acquiring the go ahead to train for Cargo Let Down, so I am happy to say that Zion Helitack has successfully crossed another bridge in our journey...

Cheers,

Tanker 09 Crashes

2008-09-02T15:18:00.000-07:00

I received a text last night from a very good friend of mine, she was very upset and the words on her text said it all..."Tanker 09 crashed tonight..." Several more texts and eventually phone calls followed. The news was confirmed that Tanker 09 had crashed outside of Reno NV. It has been a rough year... I don't know that the deaths which have occured this year are any more numerous than those of past years, however the impact of those involved has hit closer to home than it usually does.

I thought perhaps I would simply link another blog in order for you to get the story... they have said it more elequantly than I could and have many more of the facts...

http://wildfiretoday.blogspot.com/2008/09/air-tanker-crashes-at-reno.html

Tanker 09 had been here in Color Country just a day before... fighting the Toquerville Falls fire just north of St. George. I watched them make several drops on the fire, marvelling at the skill the pilots on board had... I remember seeing the crew when I got back to the Air Center that night. I didn't take the time to say much more than "Hi", as I rushed out the door... tired and ready for a meal. I wish that I would have stopped to tell them what a wonderful job they had done supporting our fire.

All too often the aviation resources that arrive on our fires, show up from seemingly knowhere just to return to that same place. I don't know that us firefighters spend enough time thinking about the risk that these pilots take on a regular basis. Don't get me wrong... it is a risky business that we are in and I am sure the pilots of these large aircraft are well aware of the risk they accept day after day... that doesn't mean that it is any less relevant that we should thank them!

I knew the pilot of Tanker 09... I had talked with him several times over the years, as we both sat eating a meal and watching a blurb or two on the news at the Air Center... These men were good men... with wives and families... looking back I wish that more time had been afforded me to know them and more about their lives. I wish that I had taken a moment longer to talk with them the night they came off the last fire we worked together... that is a moment I will not get back. My point is this, if you haven't thanked a fellow firefighter for the efforts they put in on the fireline lately... well, you should! Also, don't forget that those pilots flying the "heavy iron" above are part of the firefighting family... they too deserve a pat on the back once in a while and to hear the words, "job well done"!

My support goes out to the families of the crew for Tanker 09... today the crew will place our flag at half mast in their honor, and we will not soon forget the difference they made in our battles against wildfire. God bless them & may he now be with them and support those that these men have left behind...

S-61 Follow Up Commentary

2008-08-11T12:38:00.001-07:00

explanation to come...but I am removing some of the content of this site... stay tuned!

S-61 Helicopter Crash On The Buckhorn Fire!

2008-08-08T19:55:00.000-07:00

I must remove my commentary of the crash... this is at the request of someone in washington... stay tuned for a better explanation... I will post one soon!

ML

Another Rescue

2008-06-01T19:48:00.000-07:00

For the second time this year we have had a medical emergency in the park that has required the assistance of the Grand Canyon Flight Crew and their "short-haul" capability. I thought I would share a couple of pictures.

The above photo is of the MD900... a NOTAR helicopter. NOTAR stands for No Tail Rotor. It is a very expensive and fairly rare helicopter, at least in the utility industry. Grand Canyon has a year round contract that is through the local company Papillion Helicopters. The MD900 was purchased special for the contract and is painted in the Park Service colors and with NPS painted on the helicopter.

Short haul is a technique where the helicopter can long line a paramedic (or other specially trained individual) into a location where landing would not be possible. The Paramedic can then conect the injured person or the litter to himself / herself and sling out with the victim. This can be seen in the picture above... the paramedic is extricating the victim using a rescue triangle.

They are then lowered to a crewmember or two who will "shag" the line... they basically help to catch the load and secure or support the victim, as seen above. Zion Helitack is not short haul qualified, however at the request of Grand Canyon Flight Crew... we will assist at the helispot to shag the line... That is one of our crewmembers in the black helping to shag.

Last year Grand Canyon Helitack did 1/3 of all their short hauls out of Zion N.P. Years previous have seen as many as half of the total short hauls that Grand Canyon does, being flown out of Zion National Park. It begs the question... are we to the point where Zion Helitack should look towards gaining the short haul qualification... hmmm.

For now... Zion Helitack will focus on Cargo Let Down and Rappel... Training starts on Tuesday!

Cheers,

Overnight Campout...

2008-05-20T16:44:00.001-07:00

Well we finally took our overnight trip. It was a good oportunity to bond as a crew over some really good "Dutch Oven" cooking. Thanks to Thayer and a bunch of novice food preparers... we had plenty of chicken, steak, fish, potatoes, etc. etc.

This is a good picture of Iceman and BT doing what they do best, sample food. The Alaskan caught Halibut and Salmon was wonderfully cooked and made us long for more as it quickly disappeared... "Thanks Thayer"
Shannon spent some time relaxing after BT had taken the crew on a little run in the woods for an afternoon PT. Following the PT some of us cooked food and some went for fire wood. We allowed a couple of our trainee sawyers to try their hand at cutting and gathering wood... actually, lets call it what it is... non of the crew really wanted to collect firewood... so we turned it into a training opportunity.

Of course the biggest hastle with collecting the wood is cleaning the saw afterwards... so once again our 1st time sawyer to a stab at a good field cleaning... Bevans did a wonderful job. We may be able to turn him into a good sawyer after all...

The night ended with a good conversation around the campfire... where we learned a little more about one another as we listened to Bevans strum a little on the guitar, and the Jazz get whipped for the final game of their road to the playoffs... okay, that was a little disappointing... but the rest of the night was a success and a whole lot of fun. Tomorrow, we will wake and take a little hike to the Devils Den fatality site...

Cheers,

Here We Go !!!

2008-05-20T16:30:00.000-07:00

May has come and nearly gone, and I haven't yet posted on the blog. I have all the excuses in the world, but its meaningless to spill them now. The crew is all on but one... and she will join us by the weeks end. We have been spending our days at meetings and trainings. Most of you know how the first few weeks go... training, meeting, training, more training, meeting, etc...

We had our first RX of the season. I thought perhaps I would share a couple of pictures I took of David Brothwell falling a snag with fire in it. Not a particularly menacing snag... but it sure was stubborn about coming down. I will post a few more times over the next few days to catch you all up on the things happening with Zion Helitack.

The Season Is Here...

2008-04-18T19:07:00.000-07:00

Every year I wait for that tell tell moment when I know that the season is just around the corner. It usually begins with the arrival of the 1st crewmembers. Iceman started today! I guess that means the season is just around the corner.

I am off to Boise for this next week in order to teach an M-410 Facilitative Instructor class. This will be my 4th this winter... I am personnally about "burnt" out on teaching people how to be good instructors. I typically love teaching this class, but like I mentioned this is my 4th time this winter... and with so much more happening this time of the year, well lets just say I would rather be here at the base getting ready for the fast approaching season.

Ritzman will take his leave from the crew officially this next week. I think he will be through on Thursday or Friday in order to finish up paperwork then its off to California for him to start his new job. We wish him well, we know he will enjoy his new job and will exceed expectations out there in Sequoia...

I'll update the post in a little over 10 days...
Cheers,

Another Day At The Office!

2008-04-15T17:08:00.001-07:00

What a wonderful project that myself and several members of the Zion Fire Use Module got to participate in just recently. I was wishing that some of my crewmembers could have been on and available to help with this once in a lifetime opportunity. Unfortunately, the way that budgets and more importantly seasonal regulations concerning 1040 hours work... it was not possible to have the crew on.

The project - to remove a lot of vehicles from the Lake Mead recreational area... For a long time (probably since the late 50's or early 60's) people have been driving their old cars out to a particular cliff near the canyon just south of the Hoover Dam. Once there they drive / roll the cars off the cliff. The amount of cars present was nearly 30... most were old and in need of a funural, however others were brand new cars. The latest being a stolen Lexis that was rolled off the edge and destroyed. In addition to a lot of cars, there were over one hundred tires. Some belonged to the cars that were destroyed, but most were just old tires rolled off the cliff to see who could get the most distance out of them.

The project started with a KMax heavy lift helicopter equiped with a hydralic claw. This helicopter plucked as many of the cars and scrap metal off the hill as possible. Following that it was time for us to engage... a 20 person support crew and 6 helitack crewmembers went off the side of this rather steep and rocky hill. Our goal was to collect as much of the garbage as possible and fly it out. The tires were left to me... I went up and down the hill several times that day! It was steep and unstable... not your typical afternoon stroll. Others focused on filling and manifesting nets full of trash. All total we flew approximately 20,000 pounds of crap off the hill. That is not including the cars flown off the previous day.

It was a good project... a dangerous one, however no one got hurt and in the end it was executed well. I don't know if the pictures do justice to the terrain... but as you can imagine... it was as steep as it looks if not steeper.

Oh yes, and a side note... while we were on site and had the ability to do so, we were asked to do another project for Lake Mead N.P. We rigged and flew a building off of a repeater site. I did not get pictures of this... I got video! I am working to compress and edit the video as we speak and hope to have this wonderful footage of a very unique long line operation. I have never had to climb to the top of a building to connect the apparatus to a remote hook... it was a first for me!

Enjoy the pictures... more to come soon!

Cheers

A New Idea!!!

2008-04-03T21:02:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, it has been a while since my last entry. I am swamped getting ready for the crew to come on. Leads are showing up in a little less than a week, and the crew will be on in a month. I was given an idea today, and I wanted to run it by everyone that visits the site.

If you were given a location (i.e. a blog page), where you could advertise your old fire equipment / clothing that either no longer fits or has become excess... would you take advantage of it? I know that for many of us in the business, we have collected small caches of our own at home... I am not saying you should sell the stuff that somehow ended up in your basement bought on the government dollar (that is theft). I am talking about those of us who have purchased our own fire gear, pants, and other equipment because we wanted something better than what was offered to us by the government.

If you had a place where you could buy/sell/trade such items... would you take advantage of it? I'll post a poll to the right where you can give your answer... Let me know!

Cheers,

Aviation News!

2008-03-25T18:07:00.000-07:00

It is fastly approaching, the beginning of the fire season (2008). For some the thought of Fire Season is a distant idea... however, the truth is that crewmembers will be showing up in a little over a month! Approximately 6 weeks from now, I will have my complete crew on and working towards being prepared for the fire season... So this is the 1st installment of "Aviation News!"... where I will inform you about the things that are coming up in the aviation world.

Today I recieved an e-mail that will undoubtedly affect many of you in the aviation world. For most of you, the difference will never be noticed... but if things go wrong, you'll be glad that our vendors have complied with the change.

Starting on February 1st, 2009... there will be a frequency change for the E.L.T. (emergency locator transmitter). E.L.T.'s are required in all helicopters that will or do work for the federal government. It is part of the AMD and FS carding system that inspectors with the government verify that each aircraft has an operating E.L.T.

E.L.T.'s for civilian use have broadcast in a frequency of 121.5 Mhz and the military have broadcast at 243 Mhz. On February 1st of 2009 those frequencies will change. Both civilian and military users will share a frequency of 406 Mhz. It is very important that all vendor aircraft switch their current E.L.T.'s to this new frequency as soon as possible. This will require the purchase of new E.L.T.'s... Don't worry, this won't be a hard change! What this means is that it will not be required to change prior to February 1st, 2009, but rather as soon as feasible. Most companies should consider changing out their E.L.T.'s as the rotation for battery replacement is apparent. (most E.L.T.'s require battery replacement every 5 years.)

So why the change... wasn't the current system working? Well the answer is yes! It was working, however the company could make it better. That is what this upgrade is all about. As most of you already know, the government radios have been making a transition to Digital capable. Digital is an upgrade for many reasons which I won't delve into on this post... however, for the E.L.T. to jump into the Digital bandwith of 406 Mhz... has some incredible benefits. Currently the way that the E.L.T. works is through a radio frequency which can be picked up by other aircraft, ground based listening posts, and most importantly the Cospas-Sarsat System. The way that this system works is utilizing satellites in space to recieve and triangulate distress signals broadcast as specific frequencies (i.e. 121.5 / 243 Mhz). The following diagram illustrates how the system works...

Currently using an analog system has caused some false alarms... 1 out of every 50 alerts, on average, is a genuine distress call. This is caused by many reasons, however the only thing that can be done when these ghost alerts come in... is to launch rescue personel or start the search for the distress beacon. This ties up a lot of resources that could be potentially "out of pocket" when really needed. Going to Digital (406 Mhz) allows additional information to be carried on the distress beacon (kind of like sending an e-mail via a radio signal). The information transmitted carries information about the owner of the E.L.T. that has been tripped. This allows the rescue stations to make initial contact via telephone to the owner of the beacon to clarify the potential that an aircraft has genuinly crashed... initial testing has shown that this improves the actual recieved distress calls. 1 in every 17 are actual distress calls. There are a lot of other reasons to move to the new system, however that is the primary reason.

If you are looking for more information concerning the Cospas-Sarsat System you should visit their website www.cospas-sarsat.org this organization is a global organization that provides non-discrimenatory services for the entire world. They recieve signals from not only E.L.T.'s, but also personal beacons and maritime (oceanic) beacons. If you are unfamiliar with how an E.L.T. works and spend anytime whatsoever on aircraft, I would get educated!

Feel free to e-mail any questions you may have to our e-mail zionhelitack@live.com or you can make comment on this blog by clicking the comments link below...

Cheers and be safe out there,

Edit - I would like to thank Cheryl Bertoia, for making the comment below. It should be emphasized, as she mentioned below in her comment, that in order for the Digital 406 Mhz signal to work at its full potential... the user must register their device. The registration of the device is where important information about the company, to include contact information, will be linked to the unique carrier wave specific to each unit. Going Digital is great, but it is kind of like having a computer and not knowing how to run it... all that technology is great but you need to educate yourself in order to use it to its full potential.

So as Cheryl mentioned... if you are purchasing a new E.L.T. and wish to use it to its full potential, than visit the following website and register it... www.sarsat.noaa.gov this is the location where those from the U.S. can register online... or for more information, go to the experts at www.cospas-sarsat.com I'm sure they will answer any questions you may have.

Cheers,

WINNER!

2008-03-25T17:55:00.000-07:00

We have a winner... our 1st ever photo contest brought your votes, and in the end you voted for this picture!

Congratulations to the person that submitted this photo... send me an e-mail with a shirt size and we will send you one of Zion Helitack's custom shirts!

Claim your prize... zionhelitack@live.com

Cheers,

PHOTO CONTEST !

2008-03-07T19:25:00.000-08:00

So, I have been as patient as possible... and so have those whom have entered! Here is how this will work... the pictures below each have a letter associated with the picture, on the right is a poll with the same letters... vote on the letter that corresponds with the picture that you think is the best. I'll explain again at the bottom of the post...

Lets Vote...

B
C
D
E
FG

H
I
J
K
L

Once again the voting poll is to the right... you will notice a column with "A, B, C, D, E..." each with a small square next to them... the letters correlate with the pictures. You can vote for as many as you would like! Remember this is the photo's you think are the best... Try to refrain from voting more than once! If you have any questions please e-mail us at zionhelitack@live.com

I don't expect any hanging chads, super-deligates, or recounts... Vote On!

Step 1... complete!

2008-03-07T19:23:00.000-08:00

So just a quick update on the Cargo Let Down... as you all know, Cargo Let Down is the first step in going to a Rappel program. We have known that Rappel is a needed tool in Color Country for a long while, but as with anything in the Government we are not quick to change... thus this 2 year process has finally reached it's first milestone!

Jock Whitworth, Zion National Park Superintendant, approved Cargo Let Down today... the proposal has been sent to Region. This is very promissing as I have already been talking with Regional representatives about doing this... Soooo, I think we are 95% sure that Cargo Let Down will be operational for the 2008 fire season...

Once again, another great milestone in our qwest for Rappel.

Stay Tuned,
Cheers,

Another Entry Joins The Race!

2008-03-04T20:53:00.000-08:00

Who will take the honors?... Who has the top photo...

entry #3

Again... there are only a few more days left before we will post the voting poll... be sure that if you have a picture that can compete with the pictures above or those in the previous post, to get them e-mailed to us at

zionhelitack@live.com

We hope to have a good honest competition for your votes... join the race!

Cheers,

Contest Entries...

2008-02-29T19:26:00.000-08:00

Only two found the time to send me pictures... I am a little disappointed by this, I had hoped for a few to make the competition good. So below are the two sets of pictures sent... if you think you have something better, then don't hesitate and send your photo's and stories to our e-mail which is zionhelitack@live.com. I will wait for another week prior to posting the voting poll!

Entry #1

A wonderful picture of a P-3 Orion... the story will follow when we post this picture during the contest in about a week...

Entry #2

The second entry is of a group of 5 photographs... I will post all of them as a group, and any one of them could cause this contestant to win the goods! Stories will follow...

Well there you have it... I am hoping that some others will join the competition... do you have a winning photo? E-mail us at zionhelitack@live.com

we'll be waiting... time is ticking... you have 7 days!

Good Luck...

A small shout out for the Shots!

2008-02-19T19:12:00.000-08:00

I just thought it would be good to add some material from this past season... some of the high aclaim that many Southern Utah crews gained. This post is a "Kudos" to the Cedar City Hotshots for the lasting impression they left on the last roll of the season (2007)... great job guys!

Utah hotshots return from battling southern California fires

(ABC 4 News)

CEDAR CITY, Utah (ABC 4 News) - The Cedar City Hotshots of the U.S. Forest Service returned this weekend from Southern California. The 20-man crew was the first from Utah to be deployed to the wildfires and the last to come home.

As they geared out Friday at the Color Country Fire Commander Center, they talked about being part of one of the biggest and most complex firefighting operations in recent history.

The Cedar City Hotshots had never seen a fire like this. Few have. It wasn't just the number and size of the wildfires; there have been bigger. But there was so much more at risk in this fire. So many homes. So many evacuees.

Hotshot Kyle Betty said they were ready to go the moment they heard about the fire. "You see on TV people losing their homes. All that kind of gets to you. You want to go down there and help them out, do you job and get them back in their homes," he said. Fellow Hotshot Dan Stucki added, "You definitely feel that sense of urgency. You feel the honor of performing your duty more so than ever."

The first day they were put on the frontline of the Santiago Canyon fire. They worked into the night without air support on a back burn to protect homes on the hillside. But before they could tie in a critical section of line, the fire was upon them and they had to pull back.

It was a rough start to 14 days of hot, hard and dangerous firefighting. But these hotshots would have their share of victories and even receive a little recognition for those victories.

"We stopped at a gas station," said Lane Lamoreaux, "And this lady just came up and tried to shake everybody's hand and told us how much she appreciated us being out there. That kind of helps you get up the next morning because after you've been out there a few days you drag a little bit. But when you know that people appreciate you it gives you a second wind."

The Cedar City Hotshots won't be fighting any more fires this year. They're turning in their gear to be stored for the winter. But they will be back for training in the spring - ready to take on another fire season.

Zion Helitack supported this roll by sending crewmembers to the hotshots, whom were down personel due to end of season attrition... This is a common practice for Zion Helitack to support our fellow crew in Color Country, and it provides a wonderful way for crewmembers to gain a different perspective on the fireline...

Cheers,

You be the judge!...

2008-02-18T12:26:00.000-08:00

So I was getting ready to add a couple of pictures and another commentary on the crew, when it hit me... I don't have to be the only one to add content and/or context to this Blog. After all the blog is for the crew and those who look upon it... So here is my idea! Whether a member of the crew or just an interested party... I want you to send me your best picture/pictures! Allow the picture to speak for itself, or add a story along with it... I will pick the best of the pictures/stories, and post them for everyone to judge... the picture/story that gets the best response will gain something... yet to be determined!

So here is how we make this happen... send your picture/pictures along with commentary/story to

www.zionhelitack@live.com

I will screen for content that may not be appropriate, and then choose the top 3 entries. Those entries will then be posted for everyone to vote on... this will probably be done via a poll on the right side of the blog... again, this will be added once we are down to the top 3...

So don't hesitate, and e-mail me pictures and stories to be voted on! Remember, stories are nice... pictures are nicer... both combined are the best. The top choice will recieve something!! so be sure to leave your contact information (at least an e-mail) where you can be contacted... I will not post names or contact information on the blog!

I'll be waiting
Cheers,

1st "Certificate" has closed!!

2008-02-16T08:23:00.000-08:00

Let me start by apologizing to everyone... I have been gone doing some training in Las Vegas. I know what you are thinking, "must be tough to do a training in Las Vegas!"... actually it was a long week and I am looking forward to a long weekend in order to unwind.

I have recieved several calls from many of you that have applied, and are curious as to where we are in the process of hiring. I will return your calls by Wednesday of next week... but for now, know that the process is just begining. The 1st "certificate" has been pulled, and I now have that. We will begin the process of looking at the applications and determining whom we are interested in, and those that probably wont fit with our crew this season. We will narrow the application pool down to no more than 20-30. For those applicants we will begin a more in depth decision making process to find out if they are a fit for our crew and the current positions we are hiring. In the end it is a lot like "American Idol" in that we go through several screening process to reach the final in depth determiner... I expect we will narrow it down to around 8-12 people and for them they will recieve an opportunity to talk with someone from the crew and plead their case for being hired into one of only 2-4 slots that we have open.

Sounds like it will take a long time, however this usually doesn't take us but a week or two in order to obtain our final picks and start the hiring process for those individuals. So be patient, however don't hesitate to call if the anticipation of the process is too much. We will be glad to inform you where it is that you sit in the selection process.

I hope to be adding some more content to the Blog soon... so check back in a day or two.
Cheers,

How do we keep busy while not on fire?

2008-02-08T19:37:00.000-08:00

Unlike engines that load up in the truck and head out to do project work, or hotshots that are constantly in travel status to the next big one... Helitack crews are strapped to a rather large piece of expensive equipment, that doesn't allow for getting off the base. So in order to not go crazy... waiting for the fire bell to ring, driving our adrenaline to attention,... Helitack finds things to do!The supervisor like to see crewmembers making certain that all the gear is ready to go. Brennecke is checking the edge on the saw chain, to ensure it will cut to his liking... this is a fairly common activity. But when you have checked everything over... well then you have to move on to the next activity

Yeah... we do some sitting around. Management always seems to keep busy doing something that keeps them from just chillin' and enjoying good conversation. However, as crewmembers on Helitack there is a fair amount of waiting that takes place. It is good when the crew isn't sick of one another and actually enjoys "hangin'"

After spending about as much time as we like with one another... perhaps a little siesta is in order. As Iceman likes to call it a "natural" is often just what you need in order to pass time. However, unless you have been running strong for day after day on Initial Attack, there just isn't much need for a lengthy nap.

Soooo... perhaps a good game of horse-shoes. Competition is usually light hearted, that is until management gets involved. It doesn't happen on a daily basis, not even on a weekly basis, but when management decides to get their game on the competition is fierce. A good game between Reid and Iceman is always good for drawing a crowd of spectators. It's a good way to wind down after a long day of standby...

In the end... we all signed on to fight fire! We would give up our day of keeping busy, for a fire call that takes us to the field. Most of the crew would much rather be up on the hill fighting fire than sitting at the helibase. This is probably the biggest misconception about Helitack, (at least Zion Helitack)... Most think or joke that it is all about L.C.E.S. for us, "Locate Cooler Establish Shade"... truth is, the days are longer and less rewarding when we are not out on the fire line... Any one of us would trade places with someone on the fire, any day of the week!

Well, keep busy... and we'll see you on the fire!
Cheers

The Mouse Trials of 2006!

2008-02-07T05:15:00.000-08:00

We knew that there was a visitor to the trailer that year. The evidence left behind by his destruction seemed overwhelming. However, it wasn't until one afternoon when R.C. Martin (care of Yellowston Helitack on detail) was taking a "natural"... a natural as Ice likes to call them is the afternoon nap required by those of us whom are a little older and have lost a bit of our spunk... that the visitor was trapped and caught due to his own stupidity. The noise was coming from a nearby garbage can, and upon inspection of the small but annoying sound, R.C. discovered the MOUSE!
To some he was considered cute... but most of us realized the foul trail of destruction he had left in his little wake... Once again however, democracy found a place on the crew and for those that didn't want to see the demise that was surely looming over this mouses head... for those crewmembers, R.C. suggested a trial!

And so it began at 1400 on that summer day... a trial to decide whether the mouse, now named defendant, would lose his life for the crimes he had committed. Of course we made the crewmember that could not stand to see this happen, the Defense Attorney. It was up to Andrea to come up with an argument that would prove reasonable doubt... Others were all to quick to jump in and fill role of Prosecution. I am certain to this day that Doug just wanted to see that mouse die!!! And thus the trial began...

The Defense had a strong case... made even stronger by the weak showing of the prossecution.. and despite the obvious bias of the Judge (thats me), It was found that the mouse was not guilty by reason of obvious relatives within the trailer. My hands were tied, there was nothing more I could do but rule on the matter

At 1430... The mouse was set free!

The law around the Air Center was changed forevor on that day... as I am sure that the once named defendant, now free mouse... quickly returned to the shelter of the trailer to continue raising destruction with his little family of illegal occupants... So, as "Judge" and more importantly "Helitack Supervisor" I changed the law!

Have you met Soldier yet... well let me introduce you to the new law around the Air Center. Soldier was quickly recruited by myself, from a box outside Walmart in downtown Cedar City. She is a Mercenary! She now holds title of "Judge", "Jury", and "Executioner"! She calls the trailer home... and no stinking family of illegal occupants are going to bother her... she put an end to my headaches

Update: Once Soldier ran out of mice to trap, play with, and kill... she was on to whatever she could get her claws on. We started noticing lizards without tails, and tails without lizards... however this past summer it escalated to a more sporting apponent, birds. After the crew had cleaned up the 5th or 6th bird killing in the trailer (which is a major mess, blood and feathers everywhere) we decided that the trailer was no longer Soldiers home... she now lives outdoors like she was always meant too. That is until John Burke joined us at the Air Center... most days now, I see Soldier sitting in John's office. It looks like once again Soldier has gotten her way!

Happy Hunting Soldier

One of those days!

2008-02-06T20:51:00.000-08:00

Have you every had one of "Those" days? The winter months are not the most exciting aroung the Helibase. I spend most of my days doing paperwork, answering phone calls, and watching the clock to see time pass by... tick... tick..... tick...... tick........ tock! When will this day ever end?

On occasion I field a phone call from a supervisor, or Regional representative, perhaps even from those that control the budget... and it puts me on edge. Honestly being full time in my job (year round) I ride a roller coaster... it's an up and down emotional ride... I can't wait for the season to begin, and then the seasonals show up... fire... fire... fire... and all of the sudden I can't wait for the seasonals to disappear. Once their gone and the air center is quiet... aahhhh!! Then one day, I don't know what triggers it, I get one of those phone calls and reality tells me, "I can't wait for the seasonals to show up again and the season to begin, because frankly I'm tired of dealing with the winter-time crap!"

It is the fire that keeps me at my job... not the money, not the glory (some may say "what glory") It is simply the oportunity I get to climb on that helicopter and fly into a good fire... In the end, I am excited about the job I do... and at the end of the day, as the sun sets, I sit back and say... aaahhhh!

Well, as a crewmember mentioned more than once this last year, "If you got 'em, smoke 'em"... I had one of those days today, however life is good and the seasonals will soon be arriving once again!
Cheers,

2,000,000 gallons pumped!

2008-02-06T20:08:00.000-08:00

P3 - Orion

Taxi's in for a refill

Zion Helitack occupies space at the Cedar City Air Center, home to one of the busiest air tanker bases in the nation... In fact 2006 had the retardant guys pumping nearly 2 million gallons of retardant! At one time the Tanker Base was called home by 9 of the heavy air tankers that fight wildland fire, at the time this was over half of the fleet. 2006 was the best year on record for the base... in fact no other base in the country was as busy or pumped as much retardant

P2V
looking under its wing at the waiting fleet

These monster aircraft were originally built during WWII, and performed duties for the Navy and Air Force as submarine finders. They have been retrofitted to drop retardant on fast moving wildfires. Widely known as one of the most dangerous jobs in the world, tanker pilots manuever these large aircraft to very low levels to release their heavy loads on the fires they fight.

The P-3 Orion is a 4 prop turbine that carries nearly 2500 gallons of retardant. It has a very sophisticated computer system on board that can open a series of doors on the bottom of the aircraft. This allows them to split loads into multiple drops. Or if desired they can stretch the length of a drop out further. It takes the guys at the tanker base approximately 10 minutes to park, load, and release the P3-Orion... Now thats fast!

The P2V is a twin prop reciprocating engine with dual jet assists. These engines are big and powerful, and nearly unchanged since their days of flying over the ocean in WWII... They are not jet turbines... however the P2V has two small jet engines mounted one on each wing. The jets help this airplane to get off the ground with a full load of retardant (appx 2000 gallons), and are again used to assist while the airplane is preparing for and pulling out of the drop. The P2V has a very distinct whine when it idles into the tanker base parking... like the call of a warrior coming home. I don't know about you, but just once I would like a ride in the nose cone during a drop... just once!

When the base is busy during the summer it is evidence of a war... When the Heavy Tankers roll in, we know that smoke is in the air... fire is on the ground... and a war is about to be waged between these heavy metal machines and their nemesis.... FIRE!

Cheers,

KC-135 Supertanker!

2008-02-06T19:43:00.000-08:00

I realize that this is nothing to do with Helitack. It is however relevant to Zion Helitack. The Air Force often uses Cedar City for training. They make IFR (instrument flight reference) landings for practice. It is much easier to practice touch-n-go's at a non controled airport than at a controled airport. The KC-135 is a refueling aircraft, designed to refuel other aircraft in mid-flight. It is big and powerful and totally amazing to watch land with merely the distance of a football field between you and it's awesome power! Check out this video...

Kudo's to the men & women of the armed forces... and especially to the pilots of this aircraft from the Utah National Reserve unit based out of Hill Air Force Base! The squadron at Hill has been named one of the nations best!!!

CHEERS,

Poll Closed...

2008-02-06T19:31:00.000-08:00

What interests you most about Zion Helitack?.... You've voted!... and there were no hanging chads... 70% claimed they knew those on Zion Helitack and their reputations and wanted to be a part of that... 20% are looking for possible employment... 10% are drawn by the amount of fire in SouthWest Utah...

Thanks for taking the time to answer the poll... be looking for the next poll to be added soon.

What do you wish to know about... got a polling idea? Share it in the comments box at the bottom of this post...

Cheers,

Worthy Of Debate? You Decide!

2008-02-05T19:31:00.000-08:00

Post your comments below... I leave the debate to you!

Hello everyone... I thought the post tonight should be something that might spark a little debate. There has been a lack of comments made on the blog, and for whatever reason I am eager for the comments capability for the blog to be utilized. So in considering what I might discuss that would spark debate, I have reflected back on the past several seasons with Zion Helitack... hmmmm.... two topics come to mind.

Zion helitack has an SOP that has been established for the past several seasons, that has been the center of much consideration and thought on the crew. I need to clarify that this SOP will not be going away any time soon, the time for debate amongst the crew is over... and I don't see it changing... however, for those that follow the blog (to include the crew) here is the opportunity for your views to be heard, without fear of managment interference. If you are still cautious about commenting... do it anonymously :) The SOP is this: Crewmembers are allowed to consume alcohol, while on the road with the crew, under a couple of restrictions. 1st - Alcohol may only be had with dinner. 2nd - Crewmembers are not to linger beyond dinner in order to drink and socialize. 3rd - Crewmembers are not allowed to visit bars or establishments where drinking is the primary reason for being at that facility. 4th - Anyone who has consumed any amount of alcohol with dinner, may not drive the government vehicle. 5th - Finally, crewmembers should have ample rest, following their final alcoholic drink, before their next shift at work begins... So the jest is this... I have heard of "dry" crews that are not allowed any alcohol from the time they leave home base until they return back to home base. I have also heard of crews that hit the bar whenever possible on the road. Zion Helitack is in the middle of that road allowing for some alcohol, but under certain restrictions... What do you think? Should alcohol consumption be allowed while on the road for fire assignments? comment below!!!

Okay... while you are chewing on your thoughts concerning drinking policies... think on this one.

The Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management don't allow it... But the National Park Service requires it! Government Credit Cards!!! This has sparked more debate over the years than nearly any other topic on Zion Helitack... First, let me start by saying that the policy is set nationally... the policy as stated is not controlled at the local level by local management! If you become a member of Zion Helitack you will be required to obtain a Government credit card for travel purposes. Their are a lot of misconceptions concerning the card... does it hurt your personal credit "NO"... will you be allowed to default on the card by not paying it "YES"... Can you lose your employment with the government if you neglect the credit card regulations "QUITE POSSIBLY"... What are the Pro's and the Con's of every crewmember having a travel card? What do you think? Should seasonals be required to obtain a government travel card as a term of employment with the National Park Service?comment below!!!

Well there you have it... what do you think? Take the time to comment below by clicking on the comments link. Share your thoughts, and if so desired do it annonymously!

Until the next post
Cheers,

Just a peek...

2008-02-02T17:38:00.000-08:00

I was asked by a crewmember recently when they might get to see some of the awesome video footage that I captured this last season. I haven't had time to put together our season's video... however I thought it would be appreciated if I gave you a sneak peak at some of the dramatic uncut video...

What do you think?

Cheers,

Applications!!!

2008-02-01T21:43:00.000-08:00

Have you applied yet?

Time is ticking away... if you are interested in a position with Zion Helitack then don't delay. Get your application in immediately (only 6 days left). You can find the job announcement by going to www.usajobs.com and once there type the announcement number into the search block. The announcement number is NPS-FIRE-2008-013. Again, don't delay... time is almost out!

What you need to know!

The announcement doesn't close until April... this is misleading! If you don't have your application filled in by FEBRUARY 7th, 2008 you will not make the "cert" that we plan on pulling at that time.

A couple of things to keep in mind... (DISCLAIMER - these are general things, and should not keep you from applying if you have the desire to work in Zion. Additionally, this information only applies to those actually selected, good luck!) There is no government housing available. You will be stationed in Cedar City Utah, which is approximately an hour North West of the park. Fire is the primary activity that we engage in, however we do a lot of project work and support of search and rescue. It is standard that Zion Helitack Supervisors will not look at individuals who have no previous fire experience, unless there is a good reason to. It is not necessary to have any previous Helitack experience to apply, we will train you. Should you have any questions about the positions available, or the type of crew that Zion Helitack is... definately contact one of the supervisors and ask questions.

Inside Info... speaking from experience, if you want an honest shot at the job. Get your application in and follow up with a phone call to the Supervisor listed on the announcement. They will start looking at the applications of those who have shown true interest in being on the crew... a phone call will go a long way to getting your application looked at!

Good Luck!

Cheers,

Cargo Letdown...

2008-02-01T21:29:00.000-08:00

Well, I am a firm believer in not counting on anything before it happens. I suppose my time with the government has taught me that. How many times have you endured the "hurry up" and "wait" that seems to accompany anything that is done in fire?

Zion Helitack has been chasing the thought of going rappel for a couple of seasons now... I am not saying that it will happen, however I got done talking to the RAM this week... he wants us to push for "Cargo Letdown" in 2008 season. With his backing, and a lot of training and hard work, I am sure that we will get to add this tool to the box!

Obvious next step... Rappel! It is sorely needed... just ask those who have helped us through the years... Boise Helitack, Garden Valley, Carribou-Targee, Price Valley, and others who have spent time in Color Country. Yes, and on occasion they have rappelled into our beautiful terrain. I am not looking to rob them of this experience in the future... but, in the future they can come to support us... rather than do the job for us.

I'll Keep you posted... nothing is done until it is done!

Cheers,

The next poll...

2008-01-30T15:04:00.000-08:00

Seeing as it is election time again, and all we seem to hear about anymore is the primaries... I thought why not get into the spirit over things we know something about. You will notice a couple of questions and selectable multiple choice answers to the right... the question is, what should the next poll be? Use the comment box below to throw some ideas out there... no idea will go unread. I'll pick from the best of them (I'm assuming there will be more than one), and add it to the blog page.

I'm quickly learning the ropes when it comes to blogging... please feel free to add comments about the blog that will ensure it is the type of place people will bookmark and return too...
Getting better all the time...

Chippie Creek & Columbine 1

2008-01-18T13:53:00.000-08:00

2007

Later in the season... as things slowed down, we were given the opportunity to take the helicopter off district...

Stop number 1 on our tour of the North... Montana and the Chippie Creek Fire! It was about 11 days of fun. With more helicopters than crews, Zion Helitack helped to support the entire helibase with many positions. We had a lot of experiences on this fire. We did some ABRO work, some helispotting, we topped it off with a little PSD... although we didn't get to spike out on the line as we would have liked... it was a good time had by most if not all.

Stop number 2... Wyoming and Yellowstone N.P. on the Columbine 1 Fire! between the buffalo jams and the tourists... just getting there was a feet in itself. We spent a lot of time supporting the fire with a variety of things. We had some cold weather. We had some rainy weather. Did someone say snow... no but it seemed like it was right around the corner. By the time we were done with Yellowstone... it was time. Most if not all were ready to be back home! We had lost two crewmembers back to school. We had also helped many detailers to gain some needed experience... but those on the crew were running on fumes.

It was a great trip all in all... and the longest role that Zion Helitack has been given the pleasure of taking. 35 days on the road... and a lot of miles under our belt we returned home satisfied to wait for next seasons off district role.

Cheers,

Zion Helitack 2007

2008-01-18T13:33:00.000-08:00

The 2007 crew...

What a bunch... (top left moving clockwise) Chris Jensen, Ben Suerig, Rob Brennecke, Erin Sparks, Kate Chappel, Paul Damron, Scott Dornbusch, Jessica Mico-Wentworth, Jezaree McNutt, Michael Reid, Alicia Tanrath, (pilot) Michael Wilton, Norman "Iceman" Allen

Missing from the photo is Curtis Ritzman and fuel driver Jud Callaway.

Early in the season it was slow... nearly the entire month of June was spent without fighting fire... I know that the crew nearly went nuts with the projects that we had to accomplish. Digging a rather large trench from the crew trailer to the electrical box... I am sure that if I had them dig one more foot beyond what we did, I would no longer be bloggin' they would have killed me where I stood. Pouring the concrete around the trailer to the workshop... another task that a bunch of novices undertook and if I don't say so did a wonderful job. I'm not sure all wanted to take credit for what we had accomplished, but I was rather proud of it.

It didn't take long for the season to get started and once it did the projects were a thing of the past. We don't have as many projects this next season, but then I am hoping that the fire season will be back to normal and we will be fighting fire earlier in June...

Cheers,

Dinosaur Bones?

2008-01-18T13:08:00.000-08:00

Each season for the past 4 years, Zion Helitack has been given the opportunity to assist in a rather fun and unique project. The Grand Staircase National Monument (GSNM) paleontologist's have needed a way to extract the bones that they have uncovered on the monument. Due to the weight of the bones and the remote location, a helicopter is the obvious choice.

We have been pleased to pull leg bones, skulls, and even complete bodies of rarely if every before seen dinosaur's. At least two of the bones that we have extracted for them are new discoveries... it is fun to be a part of such a new and groundbreaking discovery. The bones are always plastered in a casing before we rig and lift them to waiting trucks and trailers. So unfortunately we have no pictures of the finished product... in fact it often takes many years to uncase the bones from the rock within which they were entombed... But just the knowledge of what we have been a part of is rewarding.

We are looking to help the GSNM out once again in 2008 by inserting gear and equipment into a very difficult area to reach. An area that the paleontologists refer to as "no man's land"... they are hopefull that they will unearth even more and diversily interesting bones that no doubt we will be extracting for them...

just a step back in time... Cheers,

Winter Time At The Base!

2008-01-18T08:58:00.000-08:00

Often I get asked what happens around the base during the winter months. "Do you close the base down?", is a common question from crewmembers that only know the warm summer months of the base life. The answer is... NO! I am still stuck at the base long after most everyone leaves. In past years it has been just me and the cat. While Alicia is full time, she has taken the oportunity to teach at the academy in California for several months. Recently John Burke joined us at the air center... he too will now know the cold boredom that is winter at the base...

Occassionally there is something that happens that is worth mentioning... Like the visit by Laura Bush to Zion N.P. Did I get to see her, or shake her hand?... NO! I did however get to see her jet land and take off again... if you can call that exciting!

And there was the phone call back in '05, early in the morning to inform me that the coal creek river had burst its banks during the runnoff and the air center was being flooded. That is a mess that I still have nightmares about. It did a lot of damage, and required days of cleanup and years of rebuilding. We still feel the affects of that mess even today.

Almost weekly the Cedar City fire department is out playing with their newest million dollar toy. The aircraft crash truck is something to ooh and aww over. I wasn't very pleased the day they decided to test their water canon on our freshly plowed aircraft ramp... temperatures that night were well below zero and caused a sheet of ice nearly an inch thick to remain on the ramp for many days to follow... ooops!

Winters are filled with keeping warm and doing paperwork... not all that exciting.

Cheers,

The Beauty of Zion National Park

2008-01-18T08:42:00.000-08:00

One of the things that attracted me to Zion N.P. and the foreman position here, was the absolute beauty of the park itself. Zion, very fittingly, is part of Color Country. The colors of the landscape are spectacular nearly any time of year. I must say that sunset is my absolute favorite, but sunrise is nothing to neglect either.

I suppose that the best part of my job is that I get to fly over this country. Most of it un-touched by humans... the plateau nature of Zion makes a lot of it unaccessible. If ever I am having a tough day when I ask myself,"why do I continue to do this job for the lack of pay I receive?" a statement that anyone who has been in the industry for some length of time has probably thought to himself/herself... when I have those feelings, all I have to do is look out the window of the helicopter down at what is so beautifully painted on the landscape and I know that I have one of the best jobs in the world.

No matter your thoughts or beliefs concerning God or Mother Nature and their intertwinned roles... I think it is safe to say that most everyone who visits Zion N.P. has a moment when in awe they realize that its creation is a masterful work of art, created by an artist that is unmatched. It is a very serene and inspiring landscape for sure...

I hope on your next visit to Zion you take the time to stop and notice a sunset... let it inspire you! Cheers,

Repeater Missions in Zion!

2008-01-18T08:02:00.000-08:00

On occassion we are asked to assist in transporting radio tech's to repeaters that for Zion National Park, are in some very hard to reach locations. This is usually an early season project and one that the crew really looks forward to. Not everyone gets to land in the locations that we have repeaters. This makes it a right of passage (so to speak) for the members of Zion Helitack... "your not truely a part of the crew until you have landed on the top of Timber Top or West Temple".

Timber Top

This towering formation is located in the Kolob district of Zion N.P. Visitors from down on the road look up at the towering plateau barely able to tell, if at all, that there is a crew working on an unseen tower. Each year landing on the top of Timber Top is a challenge. The top of this plateau is covered in scrub oak brush and manzineta. Both of which grow incredibly fast, which means the helispot cleared last season is probably overgrown once again. We try to couple flying the tech's in with doing some improvement to the helispot itself. This is usually minor, as we don't want to clear away too much of the vegetation (which provides for keeping the dust to a minimum during landings), however we don't want anything the stick up too high and possibly cause an accident or injury. Timber Top is near the NorthWestern most part of the Park and is at a fairly high elevation... between 7,000 and 8,000 feet.

West Temple

high above Springdale and the entrance to Zion NationalOne of the most recognizeable formations in the park... West Temple sits Park. It is the site for a very large array of radio antenna's. There are several groups that have radio repeaters on this site, and it is very difficult to reach as it is a plateau on top of a plateau... this is what gives it a very distinct look. Hikers can reach the top of West Temple, but not without a little bit of rock scrambling. It is not a hike for novice's, and will take the better part of a day to get up and back (that is if you are in great shape and know where you are going). West Temple is a lot like Timber Top in that every year the Helitack crew must do some maintaining of the brush that thickly blankets its top. It is even more tricky in that the brush is nearly all manzineta and it grows in a layer of sand... Once vegitation is removed, the sand is easily blown away which causes pitting of the helispot. Currently management is considering options for putting in a helispot that is more permanent without being permanent (this is the plight of the park service... to respect the fact that it is wilderness area, but allow the use as needed by those who work in the park) I believe that the big issue is safety for those whom land on top of West Temple, and this balance with those who wish to protect the wilderness is often a teater totter...

I look forward to our oportunities to land on the high majestic plateau's of Zion... those who join Zion Helitack and pay their dues, so to speak, also get the chance to spend time in these hard to reach places...

Cheers,

Summit Fire '06!

2008-01-17T14:05:00.000-08:00

Summit Fire, this was what most helitack crewmembers (and firefighters alike) live for... I thought I might share an entire page on this incident alone... It had all of the elements that one might hope for when the fire bell rings...

The fire was reported to dispatch by Zion Helitack (among others I assume). We spotted it just North of Cedar City on the East side of I-15. At the time we made a judgement call that it must be threatening homes based on the location of the smoke column. It took dispatch a little while to say launch... Side Note; haven't we all been upset about this at one time or another... dispatch has a reported fire, we know the thing is going to town, and yet that is the problem. If it is anywhere near an incorporated city than we better validate ownership prior to launching expensive resources. It is the same old question... launch the resources in order to keep the fire small and save dollars, or wait and see if the resources are needed before launching in order to save dollars (hoping it doesn't get big and out of hand). If it does get big and out of hand then we will claim that no amount of resources would have stopped it, and that will make us feel better about not making the other choice... It was only a 5 minute flight and we were off the ground in about 5 minutes (we had obviously been waiting for the call to launch). When we arrive on scene it was a total madhouse. There seemed to be volunteer engines everywhere, and the state warden was strugling to coordinate resources over the radio. Federal engines were just arriving, and the radio call for more air support was being broadcast as we looked for a landing area. We landed in a field of light grass that was approximately 50 yards off the fires edge. There was no clear head on this fire... but I knew that we needed to get the bucket on the ship and start preparations to defend the home that was sitting approximately 100 yards off the fires flank. Helicopter launched, we carried the remaining gear to the road coming into the residence. I turned around to see that where we had just landed the ship was consumed in a 15 foot wall of flame. I was certain that everyone on the fire had their hands full... I looked over to Ice and said "pop a fusee, were going to light off the road". I won't say that we single handedly stopped the fire from taking out the house, but in a combined effort the house was saved. The remaining helitack arived shortly after our backfire, and set up a close helibase. I requested those not needed at the Helibase to follow the line up to where we were. By now the heavy airtankers were buzzing overhead and Helitanker 718 had arrived on scene. A request to drive the smokejumpers (located in Cedar City) out to the fire was made... boy they didn't seem to like the fact that 16 of them would drive to the fire. Knowing many of them well, however, I think the consensus was that getting on the fire would have been better if they had jumped but just getting there was good. The fire at this point was several hundered acres and cranking in the P/J. We went to work... It was a lot of work, that lasted well into the night. It was a great fire that allowed all of us a chance to do what we signed up to do... the pictures included are all of the Summitt Fire '06... it is a fire that we look back upon as a success for Zion Helitack (and others who fought that day). You would be hard pressed not to hear a story about the Summitt Fire, if you were to sit down and listen to war stories told by Zion veterans...

I can't wait until the next bragable fire we have the enjoyment of fighting... Cheers,

Fire In Color Country!

2008-01-17T11:00:00.000-08:00

Color Country Fire is about as varied as it comes... Over the years Zion Helitack has spent time on single tree fires like the blackfoot fire of 2005. This fire was a lightning start during our monsoon season. The monsoons typically strike in late August and last into September. Now don't quote me on that... mother nature has a mind of her own, and we have seen some strange weather patterns in SouthWest Utah. Fires like the Blackfoot fire are typically taken care of in a matter of several hours, with a small 2 person initial attack squad. It is standard with fires like these to basically put them out completely before leaving... making certain that the fire will not escape or grow. They will then be checked a day or two later to call them out. Unlike big timber fires where crews camp out for 24 hours beyond the last smoke to be able to call the fire out, never to visit the site again... our fires are often left unnattended in a safe, calculated manner... this allows the fire crew to bounce to the next start and assist in putting it out. This is really important as it is not out of the ordinary to have dozens if not hundreds of starts due to one lightning storm sweeping through Color Country.

The small fires are where Zion Helitack shines... typically able to handle fires from a single tree to about an acre without the support of other crews. Beyond an acre (and depending on the complexity even under an acre) the helitack crew often falls into a support role. Providing supervision, Incident Command, arial observation, squads to support handcrews or engines, and logistical needs... and of course bucket support from the helicopter. This happens with at least half of the fires that Zion Helitack has responded to in the past several years. Like the Baboon Fire of 2006. As the pictures here show, the fire was in sage and cheat grass with the occassional pinion/juniper. It was a fast moving fire that threatened a communications site and the natural gas pipeline... strategy with this fire was to back off to a defendable area and burn out. We picked the pipeline road and with the support of several engines and the fuels crew out of Cedar City, we started a fast moving burnout which stopped the fire at the pipelines edge. It was the first hour or two of initial attack that we do this job for... adrenaline pumping and torch in hand we set out to strategically beat the monster that is fire. We don't always win... but this day was a good day!

Some fires get way too big for us to do anything other than back off and set up a logistical support for those on the fireline. This is the part of Helitack that most people make jokes about, and frankly it is when the Helitack crew is most observable. We tend to go... go... go... and when all is ready we sit! In my opinion this is some of the most frustrating time for Helitackers... we are often miles away from the fire watching it crank into the sky, wishing we were on that engine or supporting the handcrews that are battling the blaze. I would imagine every Helicopter Crewmember asked would say there is a level of anxiety that accompanies sitting at the Helibase. Color Country is prime territory for large fast moving fires... we spend a good 25% of our time supporting large fires in Color Country. It is not what we are best suited for, but it is essential that we are efficient at offering the logistical support needed. It is managements policy to leave only the bare minimum number of crewmembers at the Helibase, whenever possible sending the majority of the crew to the line to support the suppression efforts.

Fire couldn't be much better than it is in Color Country. That is not to say we don't lack in certain types of fuels and fires that are also very fun (i.e. big timber fires are not the norm, however do happen occasionally). Our elevation of concern ranges from approximately 1,500' up to 10,000'. Most fires happening in the 3,000' to 7,000' range.... this puts our primary vegatation of concern in the high desert... cheat grass, sagebrush, pinion/juniper, mahogany, oak brush, manzineta, etc... fast moving fires that are typically controlled within 24 - 48 hours....

Until the next one, Cheers.

Search & Rescue

2008-01-17T07:43:00.000-08:00

Yes, Zion Helitack is on occasion involved in SAR within the park. SAR is not our primary mission. We are funded out of Fire dollars, making fire our primary responsibility. We rarely, however, are pulled off of a SAR to do Initial Attack. When we do SAR missions it is only within the parks that we typically are called. This isn't an absolute... in early 2006 while leaving the Pretty Tree RX near Escalante traveling to a fire near St. George... we were diverted while in route to a possible drowning of a young child on the Sevier river. This is a rare case as we do not have accounting codes and operational agreements set up with the counties or state for such emergencies...

Over the years Zion Helitack has been called in for a variety of reasons. Sometimes to support in finding a body (i.e. some of the falls from the top of Angels Landing), or to support inserting SAR team members. We have delivered needed survival equipment to those in need, when we know the SAR team is going to have an extended amount of time trying to rescue individuals. One of my favorite SAR's that we supported was in 2005. The Telephone Canyon SAR was a combined effort of Zion Helitack and the SAR Team to reach and rescue a young gentleman that had fallen during the second rappel into Telephone Canyon (due to inappropriate training and gear). The Helitack crew played a vital role in not only getting the SAR members to location, but also in helping with the technical rope rescue that took nearly 5 hours to complete start to finish. The pack out to the helicopter was not a long one, but took the efforts of all present to accomplish. My hat is off to the SAR members that train hard to be some of the finest technical rescue engineers in the country. It is truely mind boggling to see what these men & women do with a set of ropes in a very tight situation.

I remember very vividly the rescue that Zion Helitack made happen in 2006... one that I myself would probably never do again. The report came in that a woman was trapped along the Narrows Canyon trail. This is a rather long trail, nearly 16 miles start to finish, that winds through a canyon that is often tight and hikers spend most of their time in the water.... This lady had no business doing the hike. When we came to find her, she was wearing innappropriate apparel and frankly wasn't in the type of shape that was conducive to the task. It was thought that perhaps she was having heart problems, this made getting her out very critical. We flew the helicopter to the bottom of the narrows and landed on a rocky shore along the river. The decent was over 1,000 feet into a canyon that was less than a football field wide. I was nervous the entire way down... It was perhaps a rash decision to fly into the canyon putting even more people at risk. In the end we pulled the lady out of the canyon and flew her to the ambulance waiting at Watchman helispot... her end diagnosis... some heartbearn/stomach problems that manifest much like a heart attack....

One of the most dramatic rescues involved the Rescue Team from Nellis Air Force Base, Rescue 61. It is a Pavehawk (the air force version of the blackhawk). Rescue 61 was doing routine training when we contacted Nellis to see if they would be available to do an Infrared Flight for us. The missing gentleman was nearly 48 hours overdue and we had exhausted a lot of man hours and helicopter time trying to search for him. He was believed to be missing near the Subway, and being an elderly man made it much more imperitive to find him quickly. Rescue 61 arrive with a full compliment, including a senior officer that was on the training mission to observe their skills. Boy was he in for a treat, what better training than an actual mission. Along with the senior officer, two pilots, a crew chief... were the 4 members of the Para-Rescue Squad... these guys are incredible... When they stepped off the helicopter it was like a scene from the movies. They had more gear and gadgets attached to their bodies than I thought would be comfortable to carry. After doing a complete fuel cycle looking for the lost party during the day, Rescue 61 left for St. George to refuel and grab a quick bite to eat while they waited for dark (conditions needed for a FLIR flight). Most of the SAR team had called it a night when I overheard Rescue 61 arive on scene again. I had packed up and was ten minutes out of the helibase when the communication came over the radio... "Zion Dispatch, Rescue 61" "Rescue 61 this is Zion Dispatch go ahead". "Zion Rescue 61 has arrived over the scene and we are picking up a light with our night vision, do you have any rescuers out at this time?" "Rescue 61 that is a negative, all rescue personnel are in for the night" there was a brief pause then this transmission broke the silence... a very thick silence as everyone listened on the edge of their seats. "Zion Dispatch, Rescue 61 has located the missing party. Permission to extract subject off the hill". I immediately spun the truck around and headed back to the Helibase to set up for recieving the injured party. Rescue 61 performed a hoist extraction by sending one of the Para-Rescue squad members down on the hoist. He fastened a harness to the gentleman and together they were hoisted into the helicopter. This is amazing in that the pilots were working with Night Vision Goggles (NVG) in a canyon terrain... heroic! The gentleman had been missing for over 48 hours. He was dehydrated, had a dislocated shoulder, and had survived by drinking his own urine... and knowing that helicopters were in the area and looking for him... It was an amazing rescue that I will never forget.

So yes... Zion Helitack does get involved in a rescue or two here and there... although it is not a primary function of the crew, it is one that we train and look forward to performing...

Until the next exciting rescue... Cheers,

Who Manages the Managers?

2008-01-16T17:07:00.000-08:00

Zion Helitack currently has 4 management positions... Michael is the Helitack Supervisor. He has been at Zion for three seasons, and seems to love it. A pretty laid back management style, allowing the crew to explore their own capabilities. This doesn't mean that he doesn't expect a lot from the crew. He tries to always give them the guidance needed and understanding of what the finished project looks like... He is fairly easy to approach and rarely loses his cool concerning anything. A bit of a perfectionist... but he doesn't expect any more from the crew than what he is willing to do himself...

Alicia is Michael's assistant... it has been said that she is the "Ying" of the "Yang" concerning the bosses management style. Alicia is all about structure and organization on the crew. She has a proud history with the military, which helps her to manage the crew in a well organized and disciplined way. Alicia was involved in a helicopter crash a little over two years ago, and has suffered a long road to recovery... She is looking forward to a final procedure being accomplished in the next month which will optimally put her back to normal and able to do and operate with the crew as she did before the accident. Alicia is also a qualified Park Paramedic, and runs our medical 1st responder training and annual refreshers concerning medical musts for the crew.

Curtis is the Career Seasonal Lead Crewmember. He has been with Zion Helitack longer than most of the crew. He spent many years as a Hotshot Crewmember before seeing that there was a lack of oportunities for advancement. He branched out into aviation and has been there ever since. Curtis is a lot of fun to be around. He is constantly enjoying life... one look at his "vagabond" truck will tell you that he loves the outdoors and has many hobies... (kayaking, skiing, mountain climbing, biking... you name it) Curtis spent last season working on a detail with Sequoa Helitack (Peppermint)... he rappelled with their crew to gain vital skills and complete his Helicopter Manager PTB, in return their crew gain a very experience and entertaining (detailed) lead.

Iceman... Ice is our Seasonal Lead Crewmember. This is a position that we hope to turn into a Career Seasonal, but for now it is beneficial for all to have Ice as a willing seasonal in the lead role. He has been with Zion longer than any other crewmember and like Curtis brings a great level of experience to his position. Ice has been fighting fire for a lot of years, running crews, jumping, rappelling,... you name it. Ice knows when it is time to get the job done, and when it is time for a siesta (or as Ice would say, "time to take a natural"). Once you've met Ice, you'll never forget him... He leaves an awesome impression on all who chance to meet him!

Well, thats a little introduction to Zion Helitack Management... maybe not all that exciting... but then you may not have met them yet!

Cheers,

Iceman... what more can be said!

2008-01-15T08:26:00.000-08:00

Ice... Zion Helitack wouldn't be the same without him! Becoming an institution at Zion Helitack, Iceman has been part of the crew nearly from the beginning. Ice currently holds the position of Lead Crewmember (seasonal) with the crew. He is always good for a laugh, but knows when it is time to be serious also...

Iceman, always makes sure that we make a big deal of his birthday. Turning a year older is a big thing for Ice. He has been turning 35 again, and again, and again year after year... for oh... well lets not say how many b-days he has celebrated his 35th. Suffice it to say that Ice is the senior member of the crew in more ways than one...

Don't let that fool you... Ice is in great shape. Although he has been doing this for a long time and the wear and tear of life is evident for Ice... he doesn't let it slow him down. I am in awww of what a wonderful person Iceman is....

I just felt that Ice deserved an "Honorable Mention" here on this blog page...
(and as Ice would say)
Cheers, I'm Out!,

P.T.

2008-01-15T07:55:00.000-08:00

Physical Training is very important to Zion Helitack. I know that a lot of Helitack crews have deservingly gained the recognition as being lazy, or unmotivated when it comes to fighting fire. Jokes such as the L.C.E.S. (locate cooler establish shade) run rampant in the industry. Frankly, that is not Zion Helitack... We pride ourselves in doing what we do best... Initial Attack! Although Zion Helitack is hosted by Zion National Park, we work in the Color Country area which is most of the SouthWest section of Utah. We fight fires at elevations of 1600' up to 10,000' and we can go from one extreme to the other in a single day of fighting fire...

That is why P.T. is so important. We have to prepare our bodies for the stress that will be demanded of it when the fire bell rings... and more often than not, we will go from sitting around the base, to demanding full performance of our bodies without the ability to warm up to the task.

We do our best on the crew to make P.T. something enjoyable. Most P.T.'s over the past several years are individually based. On occasion (and fastly becoming more popular and frequent) the management will put together special P.T. day's that test skills and teamwork. These P.T. give us a shot at trying out our management skills, orienteering, problem solving, and all around competative teamwork.

The begining of the season finds us doing at least 2 P.T.'s a day. This is in preparation for the season, prior to the helicopter arriving. Once the helicopter is at the base and we are available, then we are given a little over an hour each morning to P.T. Although the first month is grueling at times, it truely prepares us for the season. We run or hike the C-Trail at least once a week (early on). This is tough... an 8 mile round trip to the "C" that sits prominately on Cedar Mountain a little over 2,000 feet above us. In the beginning this is tough, but most crewmembers look at it as a challenge and something different from the typical Golds Gym or Crew Run... We also do pack hikes up the powerline trail... it also rises approximately 2,000 feet, however it is straight up! This hike is a little tougher than the C-Trail and not done as often (thank heavens).

Although not my favorite part of being on the crew, I do look forward to the P.T.'s we engage in. I can't wait for the 2008 season to start. There are a lot of new and interesting P.T.'s planned...

Cheers,

Having Fun At The Base...

2008-01-15T07:29:00.000-08:00

Just like any other Helitack crew, Zion Helitack spends a lot of time at the base waiting for dispatch. We require a maximum dispatch time of 15 minutes (and often we are off the ground within 10) This means that everyone spends a lot of time together in an area where getting some time alone isn't always easy.

We do our best to keep people motivated, and ready for the fun of responding to fires. Allowing everyone to become lethargic isn't part of that plan. Although management of Zion Helitack does not believe in creating a lot of busy work just to keep us busy... there are a lot of projects that we do around the base. The best however is the anticipation for the fun activities.... some are planned and some are impromtu, all are fun.

4th of July at the base is always a large gathering. Over the past three seasons we have spent all of them at the base, sometimes following a long day of fighting fire, barbeque is usually a priority as is the fireworks. Fireworks are launched on the other side of the airfield, making the Air Center prime real-estate for watching...

This last 4th of July found law enforcement visiting the Air Center to inquire about illegal fireworks launched from the vecinity of the Air Center. Management was present, however no one knows exactly who was involved or to what extent... Iceman still swears he saw 4 brothers running in various directions as the officers arrived... that joke never seems to lose steam. With reports of the brothers being seen months later, as far north as Montana...

Its can easily be said that Zion Helitack knows how to throw a great barbeque, and with the talent of the chefs that are now employed by our crew and the vendors we get to taste some fabulous stuff. The Jumpers started a war of the barbeque this last year. We took turns with the jumpers trying to outdo each other... all I can say is PT has never been more important.

I am looking forward to more gatherings on the Air Center grounds...

Cheers,

Welcome...

2008-01-14T10:40:00.001-08:00

Hello Everyone,
Well it was another successful year for Zion Helitack. This blog has been started to keep everyone informed during our down season, and time permitting during our busy season as well. A place where family and friends can perhaps check up on our activities. Most of all a place where crewmembers can post pictures and track one another during the down season... Feel free to invite whomever you would like to visit and post. I have not locked this blog and will not lock it as long as those who visit are respectful... for now, I will post a couple of pictures and notify everyone that it is here... I hope to hear from everyone soon. (pictures are old and not current season pictures... stay tuned more to come)

Cheers,

Zion Helitack

Farewell To Reid!

Updates!!!

Mill Flat Fire - Official Report!

Zion Helicopter Contract Awarded!

Wildland Firefighter Foundation

Helitack Videos

Wildland Firefighter Foundation!!!

Slingin' Shit !!!

Hiring Completed!

Grand Canyon Helitack

Certificate is in!

Short Haul Update

Last Call !!!

1st Major Aviation Tragedy of 2010!

2010 Hiring!

Short-haul or Rappel

Mill Flat Fire

Our role in Park Management!

New Post

Deepest Sympothies

It's what we do...

Managed Burn in Monticello/Moab

'Bout Time!

Zion Grass RX

Week 2... More Training!

Week 1 Photo's.... Enjoy!

Week 1 - Train-Up!

Cooper Knoll RX

Welcome Back

The Drop Zone 2008!

Another Crew Update!

First Fire!

Detailers

Hiring is done!

"Slingin' Poo"

Fitness Standards

1st Firefighter Fatality of 2009

Job Openings!

Fallen Firefighters

Puma RX - Bryce Canyon N.P.

Cargo Let Down Training...

Tanker 09 Crashes

S-61 Follow Up Commentary

S-61 Helicopter Crash On The Buckhorn Fire!

Another Rescue

Overnight Campout...

Here We Go !!!

The Season Is Here...

Another Day At The Office!

A New Idea!!!

Aviation News!

WINNER!

PHOTO CONTEST !

Step 1... complete!

Another Entry Joins The Race!

Contest Entries...

A small shout out for the Shots!

I just thought it would be good to add some material from this past season... some of the high aclaim that many Southern Utah crews gained. This post is a "Kudos" to the Cedar City Hotshots for the lasting impression they left on the last roll of the season (2007)... great job guys!

Utah hotshots return from battling southern California fires

You be the judge!...

1st "Certificate" has closed!!

More Video... To Temp Your Tastebuds!

How do we keep busy while not on fire?

The Mouse Trials of 2006!

One of those days!

2,000,000 gallons pumped!

KC-135 Supertanker!

Poll Closed...

Worthy Of Debate? You Decide!

Just a peek...

Applications!!!

Cargo Letdown...

The next poll...

Chippie Creek & Columbine 1

Zion Helitack 2007

Dinosaur Bones?

Winter Time At The Base!

The Beauty of Zion National Park

Repeater Missions in Zion!