Urgent Call to Action for Western Freepers.

6/27/2006 | mad_as_he$$

[mad_as_he$$]

As many Freepers know the C-130 firefighting aircraft were removed from service about 3 years ago. In their place the US Forest Service has patched together a mismash of smaller less effective aircraft for wildland fire fighting efforts. Most notable they are depending on DC-4's which are all ancient by any standards and Agri-cats which are small, along with the usual helicopter contigent. I live in Reno, NV and during the last five days we have had over 14 fires in Northern Nevada that are mostly raging out of control. Watching the Agri-cats try and stop a fire is a very sad experience - akin to peeing into an active volvanco.

Evergreen Aviation, on their own dime has created the 747 Supertanker. She can carry 20,000 gallons of water in one load and can deliver that load in 4 seperate drops. Currently the Supertanker sits at the airport in Pima AZ because the the US Forest Service WILL NOT SIGN A CONTRACT with Evergreen. This is nuts. The Supertanker is not appropiate for all situations but she can fight fires in the open range very effectively. There is currently a fire near Elko NV that is doubling in size every 8 hours and is now over 20,000 acres.

This is going to be a long hot and very firey summer.

The Supertanker needs to immediatley go into service. Please call you Senate and Congressional members and tell them you want to see the Supertanker in service to help avoid what could be a catastrophic Summer. The house that is saved could be yours. Mine was once saved by a C-130 and a pilot who had more guts than brains.

[A CA Guy]

I agree, they should immediately supply those and tap the overpaid government employee union pensions to pay for it.

[ConservativeMind]

And to all you FReepers in New Orleans, call the government to get them to cover all the costs to save the homes there.

And to all those in Florida, call the government to get them to continue to cover all the poorly built homes threatened time and time again by hurricanes.

It seems the government is supposed to foot the bill for everyone else's stupidity for having chosen a home in areas that are otherwise inhospitable

[mad_as_he$$]

Sorry but I think you missed part of the point. While homes are important, the natural resources that are being burned up are valuable also. Texas has been plagued by fires this year. Many in places that have never burned before. Should all of the house there be moved?Also, the Government will ultimately spend this money on less effective means in the long run.

[txroadkill]

Mash Here to see the 747: http://www.abc4.com/mediacenter/default.aspx?videoId=46198

[mad_as_he$$]

Thanks!

[JRios1968]

The Air Force Reserve's 302nd Airlift Wing, and the California Air National Guard's 146th Airlift Wing, both fly firefighting C-130's.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Have you no humanity!?

Just think of all the kangaroo rats that will be disturbed if these fires propagate unchecked!!!

</sarcasm>

[ConservativeMind]

Look, I'm not suggesting the government move my home or do something about tornadoes here in the Midwest.

Stating that you expect the government to, if it doesn't spend money on you, they'll spend it on someone else, is part of the problem to which I've alluded.

There's liberalism in your words, Mad_as_he$$.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Super tanker is too big for mountain fires. Can't get close enough...and becomes a threat to firefighters because of the huge water payload.

Could have some use on the flats, though.

C-130s also are less flexible in rugged country.

Slurry bombers need to be big enough to carry a reasonably useful load and small enough to be able to get into the fire areas.

Supertankers are not what they NEED. You want the feds to spend a bunch of money on a contract for something that they can't use except in very limited ways?

[mad_as_he$$]

No there is common sense. Why spend energy and resources in an inefficient way and not utilize the best tools available for the job? Fire is a universal danger. Floods, tornado's and earthquakes are not.

[mad_as_he$$]

I beg to differ the biggest fire in this region right now are on the open range. The Supertanker could attack those and relieve the smaller aircraft to fight the ones more appropriate for the equipment. Yes I stated in the original post that the Supertanker has limited use. Evergreen will tell you that. There is also an opportunity for it to snuff smaller fires even before firefighters arrive on the scene. Just like all tools there is atime and a place.

[ConservativeMind]

I'm sorry, but fire in not any more a universal danger than say, murder. I'm not hearing conservatives going out there pounding the pavement demanding the government take steps to stop that any more than what it currently does.

I'm not sure I understand how a supertanker would help put out a fire in a city or small town, either.

[mad_as_he$$]

You are correct. I should of said "private C-130's". However, it still takes a sequence of triggers to activate Military assets. Our Governor declared a State of Emergency yesterday which brings our five Army Guard Chinooks into the fight - except for one thing - four of them are on their way home from Afghanistan.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

And also, the tests to finish making sure that the wings can handle the stress load haven't been finalized. You want to see what would happen to air tankers if another plane has its wings fall off? And that's where the weak point is...it's hard work on a plane to drop water. It's almost killed the program two times already.

[mad_as_he$$]

I spoke with Sam White at Evergreen yesterday. He said that all of the tests required by the FAA have been completed and that the Supertanker is ready to go. I agree that dropping the load is an issue. I have a very good friend who was the A&P on many of the private C-130's. He wrote a memo to the CEO of one of the companies telling them that dumping the whole load (as was the practice) caused unnecessary stress on the wing roots and that it should be dumped in 1/4 load increments. The C-130 in Minden folded it's wing up a few months later. He was fired for bringing it up prior to the crash. Evergreen seem to understand this and has designed the Supertanker specifically to dump 1/4 loads.

[mad_as_he$$]

The supertanker would help a small town by stopping a wild land fire from reaching the town. i have seen borate bombers in CA for years stop fires from getting into houses.

[mad_as_he$$]

If you were kidding ok - but understand that the range that is burning now is home to mule deer, elk, partridge, sage hens, and rabbit to name a few. Also it is prime cow grazing. Range grazing is one of the reasons we have relatively cheap beef in this country. All of the critters mentioned above are good eats. Also in the Elko area the Humboldt River water shed is being damaged. Water fowl and fishing will be impacted.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

ConservativeMind had a point, but only if the people who built houses where the wildfires are raging were not prevented from taking sensible measures to prevent those fires in the first place. But liberals have been preventing that, at least in some places. Thus my comment about the kangaroo rat.