Aviation Working Team Meeting
March 21, 2006
0900 – 1400
Location: NWCC
Agenda
Topic
Review minutes from last meeting
Aviation Working Team Program of Work for 2006
Medievac Lessons Learned
Maintenance Responsibilities for Civil Aircraft
Aviation Contact Overview
Aviation Frequency Management
Regional Training Sessions
Case Studies for Policy Briefing
Policy Matrix
Agency Updates
NIAC Update
Presenter
All
Clay
Dave
Dave
Jon
Jon
All
Clay
Clay
All
Jim
Time
0:15
0:15
0:30
0:30
0:10
0:30
0:15
0:30
0:05
0:30
0:10
Attendees: Brad Bernardy (Chair, BLM), Dave Doane (WA-DNR), Eric
Hagen (FWS), Clay Hillin (NPS), Jon Rollens (USFS), Jim Ziobro (ODF).
Minutes Review from Last Meeting (All)
* Interagency aircraft incident response. Don’t need to take this to the
PNWCG Steering Committee as originally stated. Discussion of SEAT
accident this past summer. Dispatch and SEAT Manager should know what
jurisdiction the aircraft is working. Keep open discussions between
interagency partners. We need to ensure that NWCC knows to call affected
parties (AWT, etc.) in the event of an incident such as occurred in Pendleton
with the SEAT in August 2005 (aviation contact topic dealt with this later in
the meeting).
Aviation Working Team POW for 2006 (Clay)
* Update aircraft list for OR/WA for all geographically shared resources
(Task 1). Action Item: Clay will check the website to see if we can update
those resources to be prepared for fire season.
* No cost effectiveness information yet (Task 2). Action Item: Brad will
follow through with Bonnie Wood.
* Action Item: Clay will work with Brad Bernardy and Scott Dewitz on
updating the website.
* Brad relayed hands-on Technisonics aircraft radio training to Dave Doane.
Continue working to bring additional radio training to OR/WA.
* Continue working on long-line training. Follow-up with national offices
to determine any new direction. Action Item: Brad will follow-up.
Medievac Lessons Learned: WA-DNR (Dave)
* Intent is that everyone should be aware of how to handle medievac
situations – be ready for the unexpected. WA-DNR treated this as a very
serious incident. Situation was bad – close to getting someone killed. Type
2 to 3 organization transition on a fire. There were no safety plans in force.
An incident occurred and due to the heat of the battle, designated medievac
procedures were not followed. They now incorporate these types of plans in
their training, SOP’s. Complacency was present. Many people think they
are thoroughly trained but may not perform well under stress. WA-DNR
needs to take a look at the entire training, quals. and overall fire/aviation
training curriculum.
DNR aircraft are the last choice for medievac. The system was bypassed
by the field. This put more people in harms way than if normal procedures
would have been followed.
Maintenance Responsibilities for Civil Aircraft (Dave)
* Situation is the state uses carded and uncarded aircraft. WA-DNR was
using a carded helicopter; it flew in and shut down with a chip light.
Helicopter Mgr. watched a pilot ‘hammer’ on the panel to try and get the
light to turn off (‘had worked before’). Helicopter Mgr. called and asked his
supervisor what to do. Does the state have the right to shut down the
helicopter. Yes, and they did.
Question: where to go in the chain of command to make this happen? Who
has the ultimate authority to shut it down? Answer: Helicopter Manager.
Carding by the fed’s does not play a part in this situation. If not flying for
the fed’s, the carding plays no part in this situation.
Contacts - Call Protocol (Jon/Steve Dickenson)
Steve Dickenson came in to explain the call list procedures for NWCC.
Steve will integrate our information into a 3 page dispatch list. This comes
about due to the SEAT incident from last year in Pendleton. Due to key
people being out of pocket, contact with WA-DNR was not timely. Action
Item: Jon will send Steve D. a contact list from the AWT. Steve D. (or
acting) should be the first contact in the event of an aviation
incident/accident.
Aviation Frequency Management (Jon)
* We are still working on issues from the past in the PNW. We do not have
enough frequencies for the zones. A letter was sent to Steve Jenkins (NIFC)
to see if we could be provided a list of secondary and tertiary frequencies.
Essentially the answer was no. The biggest issue is air-ground frequencies
for the PNW. AWT members want to ensure that the coordination center
has the ability to give out the secondary and tertiary frequencies when
needed.
* Action Item: Brad will contact Dale Guenther (PNWCG) to determine
what group should deal with radio issues, or if a new one is needed. Brad
will also take this issue to AD-2. Steve D. is going to get the freqs. and
devise a way to get those to the dispatch centers. There will also be a
process to get freqs. in a timely manner when the field requests it.
Regional Training Sessions (All)
Spokane ACE – week of April 3rd. RT-372 Will be offered among other
courses.
RT-372 in Eugene the week of April 10th. The following ‘A’ courses
(www.iat.gov) will be offered: A-205, 221, 302, 303, 305, 307 and 310.
ATGS training session April 12 -13, Redmond, OR.
Airtanker Base Mgr. Meeting – April 18, LaGrande.
UAO May 17 – 18, Hood River. 0800-1700 both days.
ODF S-217/271, 4/3 – 7, Roseburg.
ODF ATGS 5/16 – 18, Salem.
ODF 5/31 – 6/2 S-371, location TBD.
NPS S-27, 5/30 – 6/2, Forks, WA.
Implementing IAT courses. Need to canvas units to determine the need for
the PNW. More to come on this subject.
Case Studies for Policy Briefing (Clay)
* Real-world context presentations for groups in the fire/aviation
community.
* Action Item: Jim will develop another case study from either Timbered
Rock or Monument.
Policy Matrix (Clay)
* Reviewed PNWCG Aviation Policy Standards Matrix. No changes to
report.
Agency Updates (All)
ODF: Planning to have two airtankers. Not sure until early April – depends
on budget. Attended State Aviation Managers Meeting – Reno. Issue that
some federal briefing papers are coming through and some take these as
policy. They are not but it can get people excited from the state (and
federal) ranks.
WA-DNR: Eight aircraft, 6 flying at one time. PBY is coming back. Have
a ‘new’ King Air. Be advertising a fixed-wing air attack pilot soon.
NPS: Almost all NPS radio systems are wide band and it does not look like
it will change soon given budget concerns. Cliff Chetwin is going to retire
(Intermountain Region Aviation Manager). A-111 process, justifying new
or replacement aircraft. Total documentation of aircraft costs, etc. Will
require a person dedicated to each aircraft to deal with this. Dept. manuals
will be revised.
USFS: Competitive sourcing data call – looking at total aviation
organization/costs to determine if private sector can fill any of this work.
Feasibility study by next fall.
Exhibit 300 – part of A-111: Aircraft, not personnel focused. Fixed-wing
are being looked at first.
Aviation Doctrine – going to National Leadership Team soon.
USFS has 16-17 large tankers under contract this year. We now own 3 P3’s. They are being transferred from the Navy. Hope to have them
operational by 2007. Three King Airs in Region 6 for 2006. 747 tanker is
being tested and evaluated now. They have interim approval to operate the
747. Tanking system is reported to be more efficient and allow the aircraft
drop at higher AGL. This may improve the future of aerial delivery if
successful.
FWS: Contract for a SEAT in Richland will be occurring. Eric Hagen is
going to the Payette to be the Asst. Fire Staff/Aviation Officer – Congrats!
A replacement is not known at this time. Action Item: Brad will add John
Holcomb to the AWT mailing list for now (Done). Brad also built a mailing
list that includes the current AWT members identified on the NW Aviation
website.
BLM: Declining budgets and continued rescission has affected the numbers
of aircraft nationwide. BLM total exclusive use aircraft for 2006: 65. Last
year it was 82:
*2 water scoopers
*7 jump ships (-1 from 2005)
*4 utility fixed-wings
*8 air attack (-4 from 2005)
*3 aerial supervision modules (-1 from 2005)
*17 SEATS (-7 from 2005)
*24 helicopters (6 type 2, 18 type 3, -5 from 2005)
Reduced minimum exclusive use helicopter crew size from 9 to 7.
Reduced overall exclusive use helicopter fleet by 5.
A new 310-1 is out (www.nwcg.gov).
Many changes to IHOG. New versions are on the web or can be ordered
from the cache AFTER June 1st. If you order before you will receive the old
version. Action Item: Brad will send AWT members a PowerPoint
outlining changes in USFS and BLM aviation operations.
NIAC Update (Jim)
NIAC has been tasked with an overall aviation strategy. Phase 1 – general
information. Phase 2 – what type of airtankers, can airframes be modified,
manufacturers, etc? Contact people are included in draft plan.
Future Aviation Working Team Meetings:
May 23, 2006: Gifford Pinchot Room, Gifford Pinchot N.F. Office,
Vancouver, WA (9:00am – 2:00pm PDT).
July 11, 2006: Mt. Adams Room, Gifford Pinchot N.F. Office, Vancouver,
WA (9:00am – 2:00pm PDT).
October 10, 2006: Mt. Adams Room, Gifford Pinchot N.F. Office,
Vancouver, WA (9:00am – 2:00pm PDT).
Popcorn to be provided…