The end result is fewer options for the government, but maybe that is what they want. National Exclusive Use SEAT SOP, Implementation Comments, questions, and recommendations shall be submitted to the appropriate agency representative assigned to the steward for each resource. Without a federal contract, we cant get carded and without cards, we cant work for the state. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Exactly. Must be annually certified by the local host unit agency administrator or designee prior to being made available for assignment. Nevertheless, in recent years, with the current situation, CWN aircraft have often been used. Initial attack, fireline construction, firing as directed. 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? 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. 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. Large Jet Transport Bill do you have access to USFS decision makers? Some of these aircraft are even qualified for night dropping, a capacity which is now rare but which could revolutionize the art of fighting fires. Its logical that the USFS move to a more modern helicopter fleet. Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) Focal Point, Mike McFarlane,Contracting Officer 34 aircraft in this category operate in the US, mainly Bell 205 and 212. PDF Fillable Forms must be downloaded to your computer, you can then open them up in your Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat software to fill them in and save. It just will. Helicopters | National Interagency Fire Center Incident Business System. Furthermore the numbers they provide are usually . To compensate for the precarious nature of these contracts, which do not presume any activation during the season, the rates are higher than for exclusive contracts. Tanked helicopters with snorkel capabilities can draft from open water sources. Type 1 and 2 UAS carry multiple camera types in a gimbaled configuration. Office: (208) 387-5231 Mobile: (208) 991-7639, Larry Robillard,Contracting Officer The question and answer document shows the USFS is unwilling to be understanding its our way or the highway, thanks for nothing. Helicopters were first used on wildfires in 1947. TheNWCG Standards for Wildland Fire Resource Typingis jointly developed and maintained bythe following National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) committees and their subgroups: While they may contain current or useful information, previous versions are obsolete. Category 3 includes helicopters capable of lifting more than 700 gallons of water or retardant. Forest Service Fire and Aviation Qualifications Guide (FSFAQG) Federal Wildland Fire Qualifications Supplement. When the SMEs include pilots who had a previous career in the military, also Aviation Maintenance Inspectors who previously worked as mechanics in industry and the military, I do not think the label of career beaurocrart quite fits. Office: (208) 387-5835 Mobile: (208) 407-6002 The reason your seeing all the blackhawk bucket ships is because you can buy a milsurp bird for less than 2$ million and be flying on a fire for less than 5. The Forest Service also has helicopters on Call When Needed contracts, on the hope that they will be available when the phone rings. For an operator to be competitive in the LPTA world, you need to amortize the cost of the a/c over 10 years or more. Additional information for required crew training and equipment recommendations can be found at the position catalog. What will replace a 407 for a Type III ship? NWCG is the sole source for the publication. Buying a/c is a lot like buying a house. Thank you. We really love being on Team USFS. Aviation Safety Management System, IAT *Sensor payloads are variable but typically include daylight (electro-optical), infrared (IR), thermal, or mapping cameras. qG4f2v$dlP^~nyH6JQ[c~x(-lCA;r:\00v40pt00 ) -: The U.S. Forest Service has awarded 90-day contracts for an 22 additional helicopters that can lift at least 3,300 or 7,000 pounds. The only modern type III helicopter we can find that meets the requirement is $6.4m which is triple the value of our 5 type III helicopter fleet (and we own a Type III light twin, its just too old for the Forest Services liking). 2023 US FOREST SERVICE AIRTANKERS - SCHEDULE OF ITEMS (April 26, 2023) Next Generation Airtankers 2.0 Next Generation Airtankers 3.0 CWN Activations. Access to the U.S. Forest Service Contracting, Incident Support Branch, DOI SharePoint Page must be granted individually. NIFC is home to the national fire management programs of each federal fire agency, along with partners including the National Association of State Foresters, the U.S. Fire Administration, and the National Weather Service. Perhaps thats the point: There are available alternatives on the market that can replace the legacy platforms for type II and III, so we should continue upgrading the fleet as we can. So this all begs a question how do we bridge the gap here? Typos or errors, report them, Rappeller training in Idaho modified for COVID-19, Contracts to be awarded for 28 Type 1 firefighting helicopters, 41 Companies on $1B Forest Service Helicopter Support Contract, Updates on Nob Fire and WatchDuty is looking for help, North Carolina: Great Lakes Fire burning in footprint of 2012 fire. The S-70 could work but again, at what cost? National Interagency Aviation Committee (, Incident and Position Standards Committee (. 3833 S. Development Avenue The FS doesnt seem to trust the input from the industry on this, so maybe the FS should ask the people who provide the mortgage? Guess what those choppers wont have cockpit cameras or loudspeakers or TAS. Home | About Its driving us away from government work and Im truly worried about the availability of rotor assets next year if they end up going through with this wish list RFP. PDF Interagency Aviation Life Support Equipment For an operator to be competitive in the LPTA world, you need to amortize the cost of the a/c over 10 years or more. Your input allows us to recognize outstanding service and also provides a tool to address areas of industry concern. The single vs twin vs safety argument doesnt have a clear winner unless youre talking about CAT A capable aircraft. These are not the usual 4 years contracts that should be announced soon. N/A = Not applicable These proposed contract changes have made working for USFS impossible for most all operators especially restricted categories that will all be phased out when the new 2000 or newer requirement takes affect. Things like long term stability, Banking considerations and finance never enter into the Governments equation. Those who can manage might do fineor they might just get tossed out with the bathwater.. For aircraft in the first two categories, fire-fighting equipment consists of efficient and versatile ventral kits . 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. Fires are taking place in sometimes isolated areas, and this ancestral technique is very widely used, allowing firefighters to block the fire thus depriving it of fuel. 6-month Exclusive Use (EU) contract extensions for 34 - Type 2 helicopters with contracts expiring in 2022, utilizing BOAs for remaining EU line items. Us | Site Click here. I may be incorrect in this, but I think the less than excited response from industry is based on them providing questions and input to the PM, HS and CO and getting pretty unsatisfactory responses. Type IIs? These helicopters can support firefighters on the ground by delivering up to 300 gallons of water to thefirelinein a bucket or tank. National Call-When-NeededHelicopters (Large Fire Support/Initial Attack)Flight Rate Charts Effective February 16, 2021for contracts awarded 2013-2017Flight Rate Charts Effective February 16, 2021 for contracts awarded 2018-2021Region 5 Aviation If helicopters are widely used in the USA to fight forest fires, they can also be used to burn them. Uzbekistan: a discreet but powerful air force. Thank youfor taking the time to tell us how we're doing! Helicopters were first used on wildfires in 1947. =Wd{,,}[bx`3j2Fyyn y } The day started at 10 a.m. around a truck bed fully stocked with boxes of discount croissants, a bag of clementines, and a stack of Incident Action Plan packets. NWCG typing standards enable accurate ordering and acquisition of needed resources in support of nationally interoperable wildland fire operations. Basic Ordering Agreements (BOAs) for 28 - Type 1 helicopters having 120-day mandatory availability periods. Bill wrote 3 sentences without even putting his opinion in, the overwhelming response is that the only people happy or satisfied with this RFP are the people who wrote it. ALSE Handbook/Guide Ver 2.8 November 25, 2017 2 . 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. Aerial Supervision Module (ASM) Lead Planes & Booklets), FS The "All Other" annual billable rate will be used to obtain reimbursement for services provided to organizations outside the Federal government. Well not quite, imho. flight plans shall monitor Air Guard. Aircraft types: P2V, HC-130H, BAe-146, MD-87, C-130Q, RJ85, C-130 H & J equipped with Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems (MAFFS). Personnel and Equipment: 219 total personnel; 2 helicopters, 14 Type-6 engines, 13 Type-2 tractor plow units, 1 drone, . United States Department of the Interior (DOI) Office of Aviation Services (OAS) and the . Hawaii beats the national average by 4.2%, and Tennessee furthers that trend with another $4,165 (5.9%) above the $71,117. National Exclusive Use Helicopters (Large Fire Support/Initial Attack) Click here. Schedule of Equipment Rates | FEMA.gov You must be USFS this sounds exactly like the Q&A session Language will remain as written. They are usually contracted for 5 years. We can only hope the upcoming DOI on-call helicopter RFP due out later this year isnt so crazy. If you like warm beer, buy a FS refrigerator. Each bucket has a release valve on the bottom controlled by the helicopter crew. 2. However cwn have a slower response time because they are not usually fully staffed. 30 0 obj <>stream National Interagency Fire Center Category 3 includes helicopters capable of lifting more than 700 gallons of water or retardant. NFPA = National Fire Protection Association These publications are "specified by more than 47 state departments of transportation," and is "the only privately researched and published equipment rate guide approved by the Federal Highway Administration for use on federally-funded construction projects." The Q&A period is a nicety, but rarely ever provides valuable responses to industry. The Q&A period is a nicety, but rarely ever provides valuable responses to industry. Fire Cacheis asupply of fire tools and equipment assembled in planned quantities or standard units at a strategic point for exclusive use in fire suppression. @RtS1yD &LS,60E0U22U0J7gm:b|gY. 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? The banker looks at your household income and job stability. One of our readers whose company has been providing helicopters on the previous contracts has some opinions about the changes the Forest Service is pushing. In the parlance of the agency, the bulk of the USFS firefighters are "1039s," referring to the number of work hours they are capped at in a given season. And then everything over 4 hours is paid too obviously. Toggle Dyslexia-friendly black-on-creme color scheme, Aerial wildland fire training taking place this week at Channel Islands Air National Guard Station, Military aircraft equipped with MAFFS mobilized to assist with wildfire suppression efforts, First Annual National Wildland Firefighter Day Announced, BLM and Maverik Partner to Reduce Human-Caused Wildfires, Aerial wildland fire training taking place in Boise april 25-29, Andrus Center for Public Policy and Partners Seek National Student Congress Address Wildland Fire Management, National Interagency Incident Communications Division, National Incident Management Organization. When the helicopter is in position, the crew releases the water to extinguish hot spots. Certainly valid concerns regarding the quantity of helicopters to transition and timeline. Southern Area Master Interagency Agreement. A quick peruse through that Q&A shows that dozens of operators really gasped when this RFP came out. %PDF-1.4 % Crews from the White River National Forest, Bureau of Land Management, and Aspen Fire executed a prescribed burn at Collins Creek on Sunday. O[Mc!3EICKD2%. Montana / Dakotas Fire and Aviation, NRCC xb``b``Vg```+g@L@,&@ The cheapest camera we could find is $10,000. 0000001330 00000 n National Air Attack Exclusive Use Aircraft Fire managers recognized the value of helicopters to rapidly transport personnel and cargo to a fire, especially in remote locations. List of air tankers on USFS contracts - Fire Aviation Under contract this season there are 28 heavyweights, including Kaman KMax, CH-46, CH-47, S-70, CH-54 and S-61 from a dozen companies. Welcome to the Nation's Logistical Support Center | National Modular AirborneFirefighting System (MAFFS) Mechanics Forest Service Aviation Management. The NWCG Standards for Wildland Fire Resource Typing establishes minimum typing standards for aircraft, crews, and equipment for national mobilization to wildland fire incidents. AMS Billee Codes. Smokejumper STC jtaris@aspentimes.com. The Incident Command System (ICS) uses this system based on the equipment capability. 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. So, because the Forest Service wants to push all but the top tier of their options out, they are essentially putting every government agencys resources at risk. USFS FIRE CONTRACTS. For operators, the Grail is a contract with the US Forest Service. Very well stated on what most of us are thinking and in the same boat. 34 Type 2 helicopters awarded contracts - Fire Aviation 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?). Calculator, GPS Office: (208) 387-5350Mobile: (208) 258-1450, Tessa Bach, Contract Coordinator If the income is lower and lower due to LPTA and the job security is year to year with no guarantee, most lenders will tell you to try another house to mortgage your house. Aviation for Regions 1, 2, & 9, 10 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! The Call When Needed contracts, which are also valid for 5 years, are intended to provide additional equipment when the situation requires it. Welcome to the Nation's Logistical Support Center | National . Incident Awareness and Assessment (IAA) DOI PROGRAM - ACQUISITION SERVICES. People will write their Congressional Reps and lowly GS grade bureaucrats will get mushroom stamped for creating an untenable contracting environment that leads to a massive shortage of rotors when homes are burning. PDF 2023 US FOREST SERVICE AIRTANKERS - SCHEDULE OF ITEMS (April 26, 2023) Aviation Management, USDA Visualizer - Convert Coordinates, Airtankers, Helicopters, Long-term Retardant Contracts, FAA These aircraft are classified in three categories, depending on their capabilities, categories that also determine the value of the contracts. Aviation Management, NPS Smokejumper Aircraft One has to write to the audience who butters their bread! But look on the bright side the SMEs will feel like they are back in the military! The Chinooks were mainly operated with a Bambi Bucket but three companies, Helimax, Columbia Helicopters and Billings, now use internal bunkers developed by subcontractors, including Simplex, a well-known manufacturer of HBE kits, which allows these aircraft to have a higher intervention speed while taking up to 12,000 liters of water internally. TFRs List/Map, Nat'l endstream endobj startxref U.S. Forest Service Contracting | US Forest Service The difference is there are very few air tankers compared to helicopters on EU and CWN contracts. They will tell you they have their smerfs.SMEs ( who typically are cradle to grave beuracrats as well), who are supposedly dialed in on the subject matter surerightlmao The so-called exclusive contracts make it possible to reserve the contracted aircraft for the USFS missions for the duration of the fire seasons. They claim that 2 times throughout the 1/9 year parent contract, they will allow onboarding of new vendors/equipment. Category 2 is that of aircraft with 6,000 to 12,500 pounds at take-off and having a water carrying capacity of more than 300 gallons. ). No wonder there is absolutely no concern about the financial impact of this proposal. Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the . The ultimate goal is to drive out the independent operator entirely so they can justify owning their own fleet. The National Interagency Fire Center is committed to making its information and communication technologies accessible to individuals with disabilities by meeting or exceeding the requirements of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended. SD3-60 Sherpa Avionics Upgrade, Dave Hershey, Contracting Officer All senior leadership, including Squad Leaders and higher must be able to read and interpret the language of the crew as well as English. If we have an aircraft on the market that give us a better margin of safety in the high and hot environment the USFS works in why wouldnt we pursue it other than money? The Branch is comprised of two teams; aviation and logistics. This change will be a double edged sword..as operators cannot meet requirements or afford changes they will shut their doors and then already limited resources will be permanently removed for fire. Pratt & Whitney Engine Maintenance. In other locations they would just shrug their shoulders and walk away. Yes (work and train as a unit 40 hours per week. Rest assured the FS are aware of the concerns from industry, but everyone needs to realize that the FS is the customer. Bill would rather not take his private industry advertisers $$$, but he should and needs to get paid for the hard work he puts in and he knows you Government boys cant/wont pay him to tell the truth. If a vendor doesnt like the requirements, they can choose not to submit a proposal. PDF www.fs.usda.gov USFS awards 90-day contracts for 22 additional helicopters Bill Gabbert May 13, 2020 Contracting, Helicopters contract The U.S. Forest Service has awarded 90-day contracts for an 22 additional helicopters that can lift at least 3,300 or 7,000 pounds. 0000004574 00000 n Do any of you FS boys understand how capitalism works? 0000000016 00000 n approved helmets for helicopter use as note to emphasize., 9; Helicopter, add table . . 0000008566 00000 n Maybe the PM, HS and the CO should talk to some a/c financing companies/banks to better understand the reality of upgrading or buying new equipment? These are also similar systems found in the lower section of the DC-10 Tanker 10, and there are also constant flow bunkers found on board many tankers such as the C-130, P -3 Orion and other RJ-85AT. Mulcher / Masticator - Boom Mounted Checklist, U.S. Forest Service, Contracting They are versatile fire management tools. National Maintenance Agreement, Robert Hoffman,Contracting Officer Cargo Ordering - How To, BLM Thats rarely happened before b/c a) its a lot of $$$ and b) the states also believed that they would get aerial resources when needed, but they got burned by that hope, literallyyou may think you can grab it, but think again in tough times.State will think about State first before sharing the resource.it will get more interesting when France, Spain, Greece and Turkey take these assetssleep well FSyou guys are managing the LATs and Type 1s welltheyll always be there for you.keep up the good workwell done.

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