Aircraft Strategy &Tactics

• Terminology• Parts of Fire

• Basic Tactics• Drop Patterns

• Example• Review Ten

Principles of Retardant Application

BySteve Hubbard

“SEE” WHAT YOU CAN DO!

• “SEE” =• Safe (Always assure safety

before any other goal)• Effective (….actually putting the

fire out is nice….but safety first)• Efficient (….only if Safe &

Effective)

STRATEGY

• Mental process for establishing incident objectives and priorities.

• What do you want to save…and how bad?

TACTICS

• A series of tasks or operations done to achieve an objective.

• How are you actually going to do the job?

Parts of a Fire

POCKETISLAND

HEADRIGHTSHOULDER

LEFTSHOULDER

LEFTFLANK

RIGHTFLANKROAD

BOTTOM LINE: This is how the fire fighters describe things.

SPOTFIRE

FINGER

ANCHOR POINTHEEL (ORIGIN)

“AMOEBA” FireN

S

EW

For this fire, you may have to resort to Cardinal directionswhen talking to ground folks.

Downhill Fire

DOWNHILLSLOPE

ROAD

RIGHTFLANK

LEFTFLANK

Head is still the most activepart of fire.

Firefighters still relate toleft and right.

FIRE ATTACK TACTICS

• THREE BASIC METHODS• INDIRECT• DIRECT• PARALLEL

INDIRECT ATTACK

A DISTANCE AWAY

UTILIZE NATURAL BARRIERS

RIDG

E LINE

BURN OUT BETWEEN

USUALLY A LARGE-FIRE TACTIC

DIRECT ATTACK

WORKING DIRECTLY ON FIRE EDGE

“ONE FOOT IN THE BURN – ONE IN THE GREEN”

PARALLEL ATTACK

MOVE OFF FIRE EDGE A SHORT DISTANCE

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF LIGHT FUELS/BARRIERS

STRAIGHTENRAGGED EDGE

MOST DANGEROUS METHOD FOR FIREFIGHTERS

FIRE OUTBETWEEN

TACTICS

• EVERY FIRE IS DIFFERENT• DIRECT? INDIRECT?

• ANCHOR POINT =• WORK FROM IT

• HONEST EVALUATION =• COMMUNICATE WITH THE

GROUND!

AIRCRAFT PATTERNS

• FLANKING• TANDEM AHEAD• TANDEM

BEHIND• HOOK• NARROW “VEE”• WIDE “VEE”• ANGLE TIE-IN

• SPOT FIRE• PRE-TREAT• ANGLE-OUT• COOLING

CONVECTION COLUMN

• SPOT FIELD COVER

FLANKINGGOOD METHOD = STARTS FROM ANCHOR POINT

USED ON FAST RUNNING FIRES

CONSERVATIVE

TANDEM AHEADPROVIDES MOST ASSISTANCE TO GROUND FORCES

ANCHOR DONE BYGROUND TROOPS

OFTEN TO SUPPORTDOZERS IN HEAVYBRUSH

TANDEM BEHIND

ANCHOR MADE BY GROUNDTROOPS IS RE-ENFORCED

MOST OFTEN USED WHENHIGH VALUES ARE BEINGPROTECTED

ASSIST GROUND FORCES TO HOLD HASTILY DONE LINES

PICKS UP SPOTS ANDSLOP-OVERS

HOOKUSED OFF FLANKING PATTERN

TO CUT ACROSS HEAD

FLANKING CONTROLCOULD HAVE BEENDONE BY GROUNDFORCES

NARROW “VEE”QUICKLY CATCH HEAD OF SMALL FIRE

ASK YOURSELF: HOW SOONWILL IT GET ANCHORED?….ANDWHO IS GOING TO DO IT?

ADDITIONAL DROPS,HOSELAYS, OR LINECONSTRUCTION MUSTBE ASSURED TOFOLLOW SOON!

AGGRESSIVE METHOD

WIDE “VEE”A LITTLE OUT IN FRONT – “JUST TO SLOW IT DOWN”

ANCHOR PROBLEM IS WORSE – BECAUSE YOU EXPECT EVENA LONGER DELAYBEFORE ANCHORING!

OFTEN USED SIMILARTO CREW HOT-SPOTTING= BUYING TIME

ANGLE TIE-IN

FREQUENTLY USED METHOD THAT PROVIDES A DEFENDABLE TIE TO THE ANCHOR POINT

PLAN USUALLY WOULD INCLUDE FIRING OUTTO THE BARRIER

SPOT FIREUSUALLY NO PLACE TO ANCHOR

TRY TO DROP FROM TWO DIRECTIONSFOR BETTER COVERAGE (SHADOWING)

OBJECTIVE IS TO HOLD UNTIL GROUNDFORCES ARRIVE

PUTTING AN “X” ON IT WORKS WELL ALSO

PRE-TREATUSED TO WIDEN A NATURAL BARRIER

PROVIDES BACKFIRE SUPPORT

HELPS TO LOWER SPOT FIRE SPREAD POTENTIAL

PLACE OUTSIDE OF MAIN LINE AND ON LEE SIDE

RIDGE LINE

ANGLE OUT

RIDGE LINE

USED WHEN YOU CAN’T GET TO BOTTOM (STAIR-STEP?)

TELL GROUND FORCES WHAT YOU DID

NOT PERFECT – BUT LEAVES SOMETHING FOR THEFIRE TO BUMP AND HOLD LONGER

COOLING CONVECTION

HEAD IS MOVING SPOT FIELD

TO STOP HAVING TO CHASE SPOT FIRES ALL DAYDROP TIGHT TO BACKSIDE AND ALLOWCONVECTION WIND TO DRAW IT IN

GROUND SIDE-VIEW

SPOT FIELD COVERMULTIPLE LINES SPACED NARROWER THAN THEFIRE-RUNNING DISTANCE NEEDED TO BUILD UPSPOTTING HEADS FROM NEW SPOT FIRES (USE NATURAL BARRIERS TOO)

REQUIRES LARGE NUMBER OF AIRCRAFT BE QUICKLYCOMMITTED AT SAME TIME AND THIS WILL FORCEPLACING LINES A LONG DISTANCE OUT IN FRONT

THIS IS ANEW TACTIC

PLEASESHARE ANYSTORIES

EXAMPLE

COW PATH

ROAD

WIND

EXAMPLE

COW PATH

ROAD

WIND ON RETURN

10 PRINCIPLES OF RETARDANT APPLICATION

From The National Wildfire Coordinating Group

PRINCIPLES OF RETARDANT APPLICATION

1.• DECIDE TACTICS = DIRECT OR

INDIRECT?• SIZE-UP• RESOURCES AVAILABLE

PRINCIPLES OF RETARDANT APPLICATION

2.• ESTABLISH ANCHOR POINT

• WORK FROM IT

PRINCIPLES OF RETARDANT APPLICATION

3.• USE PROPER DROP HEIGHT

• UP/DOWN WIND?• LIGHT/HEAVY GPC?

PRINCIPLES OF RETARDANT APPLICATION

4.• APPLY PROPER COVERAGE

LEVELS• EFFECTIVENESS VERSUS

WASTE

PRINCIPLES OF RETARDANT APPLICATION

5.• DROP DOWNHILL AND DOWN-

SUN WHEN FEASIBLE….BUT:• SAFE EXIT IS KEY = LEVEL

RUN OVER RISING TERRAIN INTO WIND MAY BE AS GOOD

PRINCIPLES OF RETARDANT APPLICATION

6.• DROP INTO THE WIND FOR

BEST ACCURACY….BUT:• “SEE” = BE SAFE BEFORE

TRYING TO BE MORE EFFECTIVE(or EFFICIENT)

PRINCIPLES OF RETARDANT APPLICATION

7.• DO HONEST EVALUATIONS OF

AIR ATTACK EFFORTS• TALK TO GROUND WITH SAME

HONESTY

PRINCIPLES OF RETARDANT APPLICATION

8.• GO DIRECT ONLY WHEN

GROUND SUPPORT IS AVAILABLE• OR WHEN EXTINGUISHMENT

IS PROBABLE

PRINCIPLES OF RETARDANT APPLICATION

9.• PLAN DROPS SO THEY CAN BE

EXTENDED OR INTERSECTED EFFECTIVELY

PRINCIPLES OF RETARDANT APPLICATION

10.• MONITOR EFFECTIVENESS AND

ADJUST AS NEEDED….OR• SHUT IT DOWN?• SHOW-TIME ANYWAY?

Aircraft Strategy &Tactics

• Terminology• Parts of Fire

• Basic Tactics• Drop Patterns

• Example• Review Ten

Principles of Retardant Application