Publications include manuals, handbooks, standards, guides, plans, and other documents. Ignoring the facts of what that aircraft can actually carry, not what the vendor claims. Office: (208) 387-5609 Mobile: (208) 616-5550 This draft RFP is such a massive and violent change from what has been requested in previous contracts that most operators arent going to be able to handle it. From completely unacceptable accident rates to corrupt hiring decisions and horrendously abysmal contracting they are all utter and complete failures. sparked by a US Forest Service prescribed burn is the state's largest wildfire. The USFS cooperates with CAL FIRE, US Department of Interior agencies Bureau of. You have to love the obvious FS sycophants on here making contemptuous, defensive and specious arguments. I can see daily availability rates sky rocketing, which it sounds like is expected. Office: (208) 387-5350Mobile: (208) 258-1450, Tessa Bach, Contract Coordinator Try to pass on the cost of newer, more expensive equipment in less than 10 years, than the operator fails on the LPTA front b/c his day rate will be too high. Last year the U.S. Forest Service reduced the number of Type 1 ships by 18%. Call-When-Needed (CWN) Large Jet Transport, Matthew Olson,Contracting Officer usfs type 1 helicopter contracts 2021. by | Jun 10, 2022 | championship wrestling from florida dvd | wheeler middle school staff | Jun 10, 2022 | championship wrestling from florida dvd | wheeler middle school staff Firewatch Cobra (Bell 209-AH-1) Aerial Supervision Helicopter Two discussions, one one year, the other 2019. Well not quite, imho. It has been lightly edited. These changes are going to put operators who have worked hard for generations, who have tirelessly jumped through USFS hoops for years out of businessthat is a crappy government thanks, with costly and unnecessary changes as the final slap in the face! That year the FS also reduced the number of Type 1 helicopters on EU contract from 34 to 28 and cancelled a solicitation for up to seven large air tankers, citing a lack of funding. The FS requirements are out of synch with the financial obligations of the companies they want to hire. helicopter services hourly flight rates, fuel consumption, and weight reduction chart effective . What a crock of crap! The National Interagency Aviation Council study that was approved by the National Wildfire Coordinating Group in July, 2008, recommended that there be on contract in 2012, 34 Type 1 helicopters . These are the largest helicopters used for fighting wildland fires in the United States and can carry between 700 and 3,000 gallons of water. In fact, for the helicopter operators engaged in aerial firefighting, the Type-1s have become the preferred helicopter type, as they transition away from aging, smaller Type-2 and Type-3 modelsboth types with 9 seats or less, and with respective certified internal gross weights of 7,000 to 14,000 pounds (Type 2), and under 7,000 pounds (Type 3); The Q&A period is a nicety, but rarely ever provides valuable responses to industry. The fleet remained at that level until the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020 when they added an additional 22 ships for a total of 50. The U.S. Forest Service (FS) is expecting to contract for 48 Type 1 helicopters for the 2021 wildfire season. What replaces the 212? Call-When-Needed (CWN) Amphibious Water Scooper Aircraft Let the operators upgrade when if/it will work. Add to this that they are wanting us to throw all of this money into our aircraft to get on the contract (which is now a 10 year contract!) There was a big demand for the S-61 (w/Carson Blades) along with a call for both pilots and mechanics in Afghanistan on High dollar US Gov. Federal Contract Opportunity for National Exclusive-Use Type 1 and Type 2 Helicopter Modernization SN-2021-01 . So given that the PM and the HS are both aviation folks, this means that they have certain goals that they are trying to achieve given the shape that the Solicitation is taking. I know we arent alone in how upset we are with the Forest Service right now. Senator Mark Kelly may be interested in hearing comments about FS & DOI aircraft contracting: Here is an excerpt from the Washington Post, February 9, 2016: On Tuesday, the International Institute for Strategic Studies released its Military Balance 2016 report, which seeks to examine closely the changing nature of military power. Jeffrey McGinley, Associate Branch Chief, Aviation You must be USFS this sounds exactly like the Q&A session Language will remain as written. All the experienced aviation folks leading the latest helo RFP need to know that what youre proposing will lead to less a/c and more accidents/deaths. CHAPTER 50 AIRCRAFT . The S-70 could work but again, at what cost? With the twin engine requirement would a K-Max also be DQd? If it aint broke, dont try to fix it. Cell phone gps location, sat phones and ADSB are far more useful. Aviation Safety. To request access to this page, submit request to, Forest Service Acquisition Management Incident Procurement, Solicitations on Federal Business Opportunities, Flight Rate Charts Effective February 16, 2021for contracts awarded 2013-2017, Flight Rate Charts Effective February 16, 2021 for contracts awarded 2018-2021, Crews Type 2 IA, Standard Form 1449, 2022 Summary, National Type 2-IA Crew COR Designation Letter, National Type 2-IA Crew Performance Evaluation, Type 2 Crew Generic Agreement 1202SC21Q0001, 2020 COVID-19 Modification for Mobile Shower Facilities, Mobile Shower Performance Evaluation Form, 2020 COVID-19 Modification for Mobile Food Services, Retardant Contractor Performance Evaluation Form, Retardant Contracts COR Designation Letters, National Mobile Shower COR Designation Letter, National Long Term Fire Retardant Contract. 34 0 obj <>stream A series of water drops can enable hand crews to make steady progress on active flanks of the fire. I would encourage folks to contact their Congressional Representatives (once again) about problems with government contracting for fire-fighting aircraft. Services include, but are not limited to aircraft purchase and sales; maintenance of fleet aircraft; pilot service contracts . The recent Fire at Custer State Park is proof that such Wildland Fire Fighting Equipment is a very welcome addition to our Fire Protection District. a request arrives from the US Forest Service to locate a missing range tech and his unit last reported headed for nearby Stinkin' Springs, and the brutal murder of Constance Suarez in the . Base model costs 50k where does the rest go??? Todd thanks for chiming in. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Kinda like the air tankers. Your input allows us to recognize outstanding service and also provides a tool to address areas of industry concern. In 2016 the FS hired 34 Type 1 helicopters but starting in 2017 reduced the number to 28. I think stating more aggressive firing operations is suitable for the Bush Fire, right- sir? Please help us improve by taking a few moments to complete our voluntary USFS Fire Industry feedback form. A lot of the operators that will get pushed out because of this RFP do a lot of irrefutably safe work when fire season peaks, or when resource work is needed, with excellently maintained legacy platforms at great value to the taxpayers., Less than three months after Forest Service Chief Christiansen said the agency was going to release a report shortly about the feasibility of moving to 10-year contracts, they issued a presolicitation for helicopter contracts that guaranteed one year. Maybe in talking to a 3rd party lender the FS would learn more about these challenges that industry is facing due to the well intended, but poorly delivered solicitation requirements? As I indicated, Im very interested in more reporting on this from the customer side of the table, IE the USFS as well as industry. The stats are in for the use of firefighting helicopters in 2017. Does a 407 not meet the new requirements? It doesnt matter what we say if we dont pay the price , the US Forest service only go and hire the Canadians to do our job. In addition, the federal land management agencies said last year they were going to limit the number of less-than-full-suppression fires and attack new ignitions aggressively. Our suggestion is to prioritize the defense and protection of our citizens, homeland, forests, parks, grasslands, refuges, prairies, and wildlands FIRST, before considering spending trillions on the other side of the world. Sounds like a great schedule to buy a next gen helicopter. Just like how the new GM Suburban for Diplomates costs millions of dollars each and the contract went to the one company that can make it. Federal Contract Opportunity for National Exclusive-Use Type 1 and Type 2 Helicopter Modernization SN-2021-01. Video of two Type 1 helicopters reloading with retardant, Lockheed looks ahead to advancing capability in wildland firefighting, Aerial Firefighters Association to promote safety, standards, innovation, Coulson tanker down in Western Australia, pilots okay, Helicopter crash kills 2 in Chilean fires. I will say this There is no cost, and in case you change your mind each email has an unsubscribe button. HMS8:A[>!Leq`dXfgo$av`w*ldevq7mXm`F,s}PA.?|ZA[7lY7z rCXB:Y;M7\c>]-kFt^j1_>ey)4?haGUEX5M7IW? xt*9b`w,$$B.vc&8Hx.Yjf9N3 |B^gW?.n}tZ8 Very well stated on what most of us are thinking and in the same boat. They never seem to be logical ! Putting more undue pressure on vendors to meet their misunderstanding of both FW and RW aviation. Bill would rather not take his private industry advertisers $$$, but he should and needs to get paid for the hard work he puts in and he knows you Government boys cant/wont pay him to tell the truth. Nobody should bid, then when everything is on fire and the USFS comes begging then youd have some leverage on them. Candidates include the Bell 429, Airbus/Eurocopter H135 or H145 or other light twins on the market. These large helicopters are beloved by wildland firefighters, since they can strategically drop with pinpoint accuracy thousands of gallons of water or retardant while working close air support with ground personnel. October 27, 2021 Forest Service Response: The USFS recognizes the importance of safety recommendation A-10-168 and continues to refine Flight Data Monitoring requirements. The beauty of a free country. These helicopters are the largest that are used for fighting wildfires and can carry between 700 and 3,000 gallons of water or fire retardant. So given these facts, what do you think they are trying to achieve in ultimately reducing the number of a/c in a time when we need more of them? We operate Type III helicopters and are now faced with 40lbs+ of equipment (costing over $60k per aircraft) to meet minimum requirements things that we really dont need like a Traffic Avoidance System (but the ADS-B they required last year isnt good enough) and a loudspeaker (because yelling at the fire helps?). The USFS has determined there is not enough time for an adequate response from industry, a complete evaluation by the government, and ultimately timely award prior to the start of 2022 mandatory availability periods.