Fire Control

It's time to rethink firefighting

In 2018, there were more than 58,000 wildfires in the US alone, and in the past decade, they consumed more than $5 billion in personal property.

Lighter-than-Air technology (LTA) has the capacity to eliminate the inferno by bringing greater resources to the fight and deploying them with greater accuracy.

The Intensity

When a wildfire begins, there’s only a small window of time before it morphs into a raging inferno.
During this period, firefighting efforts are at the mercy of the weather, as shifting winds can greatly intensify the blaze.

The Great Fire of 1871

The worst in US history in terms of lives lost were the Great Fires of 1871, in which four large wildfires broke out simultaneously in the Upper Midwest, ultimately claiming more than 1,500 lives.

The Great Fire of 1910

The “Big Burn” of 1910 is believed to have been the largest in US history, as it destroyed over 3 million acres in Idaho.

The Aftermath

In the last decade, wildfires have caused more than $5 billion in personal property damage.

The Controlled Burn

Once a wildfire grows beyond the point of control, the only hope of containment is the denial of fuel.

This is accomplished by cutting a firebreak in front of the main fire and performing a controlled burn between the break and the existing fire—essentially expanding the firebreak.

Weather conditions permitting, the wind will drive the main fire into this area, which results in the wildfire burning itself out.

In other words, the firefighters have no alternative but to destroy property in order to stop the fire and save property.

Granite Mountain Hotshots

In memory of the 19 brave men who lost their lives fighting the Yarnell Hill Fire in Prescott, Arizona, on June 30, 2013.

This great sacrifice reignited the controversy surrounding the availability of large air tankers, the aircraft used in the deployment of fire-retardant agents.

Andrew Ashcraft, 29; Robert Caldwell, 23; Travis Carter, 31; Dustin DeFord, 24; Christopher MacKenzie, 30; Eric Marsh, 43; Grant McKee, 21; Sean Misner, 26; Scott Norris, 28; Wade Parker, 22; John Percin, Jr., 24; Anthony Rose, 23; Jesse Steed, 36; Joe Thurston, 32; Travis Turbyfill, 27; William Warneke, 25; Clayton Whitted, 28; Kevin Woyjeck, 21; Garret Zuppiger, 27

In the war on wildfires, ground crews rely heavily on support from the air. One of the largest aircraft used for this purpose is the DC-10 Supertanker, capable of carrying up to 12,000 gallons of water or fire retardant.

The MAFFS C-130, which stands for Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System, has a carrying capacity of up to 3,000 gallons of retardant.

Firefighting Aircraft

In these slides are the various types of aircraft used in the war on wildfires.

The largest being the Boeing 747-400 Supertanker, capable of carrying up to 19,000 gallons of retardant.

As previously noted in the History Channel video, their primary purpose is not to extinguish the wildfire but to aid the ground crews with establishing effective fire lines in an attempt to contain the raging inferno.

LTA's Impact on the fight

Now that you understand the basics of battling large wildfires, imagine being able to bring greater resources to the fight and having the capability to more accurately deploy those resources while holding a fixed position.

With this functionality, the extinguishing agent could be applied directly to the heart of any wildfire.

Taking it a step further, early deployment of this technology while the wildfire was still in its infancy would halt its growth long before it had a chance to morph into an inferno.

How would that benefit the firefighting community, the state’s local economy, or the personal property owner?

  • Fewer lives impacted
  • Less property damage
  • Lower insurance rates
  • The conservation of natural habitats
  • Fewer tax dollars spent fighting fires and cleaning up the aftermath
  • The list is virtually limitless….

Lighter-than-Air technology (LTA) has the capability to bring greater resources to the fight, deploy them with greater accuracy, and provide better air support for the firefighter—all this while simultaneously saving tax dollars, reducing insurance costs, and protecting personal property from harm.