Who's the Boss?
In a 2004 issue, Aviation Canada magazine reported that fire managers in British Columbia appreciated the Fire Boss's "speed and sprightliness in tight areas." In addition to initial-attack missions with retardant and/or water, the aircraft often was used to fill in gaps between loads from airport-based heavy air tankers.
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In Minnesota, the Fire Boss has been deployed as a single air resource on grass fires, performing as a conventional SEAT — without having to land and reload — in tandem with helicopter operations. It also supports the CL-215s, extending control lines and filling in when additional drops were ordered.
A poll of Minnesota Department of Natural Resources initial-attack incident commanders who used the Fire Boss on incidents in 2007 and 2008 said that the aircraft filled a niche where a larger air tanker might've been "overkill."
They also liked:
- The fast initial response to the fire with a maximum 150 knots indicated airspeed.
- The ability to split loads to cover dog-legged lines and fingers, as well as the relatively tight maneuvering ability on split-load operations.
- The accurate and effective dosage of foam application.
- The good length on drops, given particular fuel types and coverage levels.
- The effectiveness in standing timber at coverage level four.
The poll respondents highlighted the ability to reload at an airport if necessary because a fire near an established air tanker base revealed it was more efficient to use the aircraft the old-fashioned way. The average load was 550 gallons, requiring three minutes to refill, with a 1-minute span from landing to takeoff.
However, the incident commanders didn't like that the Fire Boss had limited effectiveness in timber and with heavy, downed fuels, such as blowdown or slash. In addition, scooping operations require large-enough lakes, which are less common in southern Minnesota than in the northern half of the state.
Neither of those negatives was a huge handicap. In heavy fuels, the CL-215 would be the preferred air tanker asset in any case, and if turnaround times are long because of the distance to a water source, a helicopter could fill the gap. Overall, the Fire Boss has been a useful addition to the fire-management toolbox, and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources intends to have one on contract again for the 2009 fire season.
Peter M. Leschak is a firefighter and fire instructor with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry. Two of his books are listed on the National Wildfire Coordinating Group's Leadership Development Web site's recommended reading list.
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