Short-haul or Rappel

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

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!

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

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

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...

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!