usfs type 1 helicopter contracts 2021

And of course, stop lying / omitting to the public and making false, lame excuses with only a grain of truth in their news conferences and news releases. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. USFS Aviation Safety Management System. Its logical that the USFS move to a more modern helicopter fleet. FS is gonna end up with a heavy National Guard helicopter fleet next year. Large Airtankers (LATs) can deliver from 2,000 to 4,000 gallons of fire retardant to support firefighters on the ground. We all understand that. The Q&A period is a nicety, but rarely ever provides valuable responses to industry. Nada! On a grand scale, the report showed yet again that U.S. military spending easily dwarfed the rest of the world. As I indicated, Im very interested in more reporting on this from the customer side of the table, IE the USFS as well as industry. Heat Wave DB109505 12 hours 52 minutes by TJ Klune read by Michael Lesley . What type of copters are under contract for Colorado? Without a federal contract, we cant get carded and without cards, we cant work for the state. 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. mudslides will come erosion. In other locations they would just shrug their shoulders and walk away. All perpetuated by the Gov. It also recommended a total of 35 air tankers by 2018, which included three water-scooping air tankers. Smokejumper STC Cooperator aircraft (State contracted, State owned, State managed National Guard aircraft, usfs type 1 helicopter contracts 2021. Through the use of Preseason Agreements and by partnering with the U.S. Forest Service Region 6 Fire Aviation Contracting Team (FACT), through VIPR contracts, DNR is able to pull in outside resources quickly if needed. 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). Plate 1. Do any of you FS boys understand how capitalism works? Well not quite, imho. Access to the U.S. Forest Service Contracting, Incident Support Branch, DOI SharePoint Page must be granted individually. National Helicopters (Large Fire Support, Initial Attack, Call-When-Needed) Official websites use .gov Woodbury was in 2019. Like in 2020, this solicitation has the unusual provision of limiting the 20 surge contracts to the participants of the existing Forest Service Type 1 Basic Ordering Agreement. National Maintenance Agreement, Robert Hoffman,Contracting Officer Give me a break. Vendors do not drive the requirements the customer does. Fax: (208) 387-5384, https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/fire/contracting, Important Information Regarding the COVID-19 Pandemic, Access to the U.S. Forest Service Contracting, Incident Support Branch, DOI SharePoint Page must be granted individually. contract # manager/admin base/phone tanker/ac type/ n # iab approved tank size map days estimated map start estimated map end day off daily av rate hrly ft rate (dry) . Time to take care of my health morehave my brain ss procedure soon. Not the news we all are hearing. As this is being written, the politicians we elect to represent us in Washington are trying to put together a last minute (literally) federal budget that will keep the government from shutting down again tonight. The USFS has determined there is not enough time for an adequate response from industry, a complete evaluation by the government, and ultimately timely award prior to the start of 2022 mandatory availability periods. 2. Here is the full text from the December 13 update: The intent of the USFS for acquiring helicopter services for 2022 is as follows: 1. National Pilots (like everything they do) or does this mean there will be a shortage of helicopters available for fires?.. So a one year contract with each additional option year at the discretion of the agency with unreliable congressional funding is not a concept that makes potential vendors feel all warm and fuzzy. For several years the U.S. Forest Service had contracted for 34 EU Type 1 ships, but reduced that to 28 in 2017. Aviation Safety. They simply never had to deal with these considerations. How do you Initial Attack (IA ) for forty plus miles from the Four Peaks turn off to the Roosevelt Lake turn off? crosby, tx police . Ignoring the facts of what that aircraft can actually carry, not what the vendor claims. Todd thanks for chiming in. It will be going through clearance in a matter of a few days and it will be getting to the committee here shortly. The U.S. Forest Service (FS) is expecting to contract for 48 Type 1 helicopters for the 2021 wildfire season. I agree the process has become absurd; personnel within federal agencies who develop and oversee aircraft contracts for fire-fighting need significant redirection. Putting more undue pressure on vendors to meet their misunderstanding of both FW and RW aviation. 34 0 obj <>stream Large Jet Transport Dont you? The States contracted for Fed approved airtankers so just like we all share resources like engines and shot crews now we can share airtankers too. Type 1 helicopters are the largest, fastest flying and the most expensive helicopters used on wildland fires. Oh and theres a reason for the price difference, all the vendors you see with blackhawks have restricted category aircraft. 2. That wind yesterday has me in a sinus pressure headache today. All Standard and Restricted category Type 1, 2 and 3 helicopter contracts awarded under the USFS Type 1, 2 and 3 2022 Multiple Award Task Order (MATOC) Helicopter Support . A fixed wing air tanker that has to refill at an airport takes much longer. In 2016 the FS hired 34 Type 1 helicopters but starting in 2017 reduced the number to 28. usfs type 1 helicopter contracts 2021 . What a crock of crap! A 407 isnt a twin, even tho a 407hp will outperform all the above as a type III. My look and details are just that- my perception. 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. This would raise the total military budget for the next two years to $1.4 trillion. Aviation for Regions 1, 2, & 9, 10 hb``e``c```Y But you better pay for it, USFS says! Well not quite, imho. Buying a/c is a lot like buying a house. Do you know anything that can replace the current platforms? No. At least two CL-415s were removed from USFS contracts and placed on a state contract this year too. The FS will still have the 28 exclusive use Type 1 ships; the additional 20 will serve a mandatory availability period of 120 days, with a possible option for another 30 if the FS determines a need. The Governor's proposed budget for the following fiscal year beginning July 1, 2022 includes exclusive use contract funding over the next three years for 10 Type 1 helicopters, but that. 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. LockA locked padlock 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? Incident Procurement Modernization Team Member. They are all tied to contractors in the business. Large, heavy-lift helicopters can fill their water tanks with a snorkel that siphons water from lakes, rivers, or other sources. 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. Just another site. Call-When-Needed (CWN) Amphibious Water Scooper Aircraft I think you answered your own question with why are they only replacing type II and III legacy platforms and not type I? Interested vendors must get their offers to the FS by March 3, 2021. All the UTFs for rotors can get name-tied back to a few individuals at NIFC. Website Coordinator In my lifetime, I will not see the beauty I once hiked. Exactly. National Pilots Local Small Business Specialist National Maintenance Agreement Robert Hoffman , Contracting Officer Office: (208) 387-5681 Mobile: (208) 866-1610 National Call-When-Needed Helicopters (Large Fire Support/Initial Attack) Flight Rate Charts Effective February 16, 2021 for contracts awarded 2013-2017 What can replicate the performance of a UH-1H with a -703 as a bucket bird? Phone: (208) 387-5670 You guys (and gals) should possess enough experience to influence how contracts are conceptualized, and bring some common sense back to the process, Nobody should bid, then when everything is on fire and the USFS comes begging then youd have some leverage on them.. Enter your email address to subscribe and receive notifications of new posts by email. Typos, let us know, and please keep in mind the commenting ground rules before you post a comment. LockA locked padlock National Interagency Fire Center Forest Service and interagency publications are the primary vehicles by which Forest Service and Interagency policy and standards are transmitted. Some of these folks need to spend 20+ yrs like some us did in the aviation maintenance and everyday flying to expend this much energy to get vendors spooled up and then say there is not enough time. Enter your email address to subscribe and receive notifications of new posts by email. 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. Office: (208) 616-5548 Mobile: (208) 616- 5548, Training Centers Support (Main Contact) 2023 us forest service airtankers - schedule of items (mar 1, 2023) next generation airtankers 2.0 What will replace a 407 for a Type III ship? NIFC Operations Support He replied: The existing Call When Needed (CWN) Basic Ordering Agreement (BOA) will be utilized for both Type 1 and Type 2 CWN helicopters. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS Several vendors opted for EU contracts with states instead of the USFS. In my experience last year, the surge helicopters ended up on large fires, because there were so many and the need was there. If as you suggest they can choose to not submit a proposal then two things are going to happen: 1) that aircraft will not be part of the AFF fleet next year and 2) you will have less a/c in the future b/c of it. helicopter services hourly flight rates, fuel consumption, and weight reduction chart effective . The recent Fire at Custer State Park is proof that such Wildland Fire Fighting Equipment is a very needed as well as welcome addition to our Fire Protection District. The Incident Support Branch (ISB) at the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) is located in Boise, Idaho. But look on the bright side the SMEs will feel like they are back in the military! What about the forty plus miles along the highway- was that part of the aggressive initial attack or the aggressive firing operations? In addition the Logistics Branch provides procurement support for eleven National Cachesfor wildland fire suppression and prevention, as well as other emergency incident response activities. Large Jet Transport The companies willing to make adjustments will do just that and end up with contracts. Samantha Roberts, Zoological Society of London [ TOP ] Plate 42. That year the FS also reduced the number of Type 1 helicopters on EU contract from 34 to 28 and cancelled a solicitation for up to seven large air tankers, citing a lack of funding. Little to no way to sock away money for these required upgrades to bid on the contract. Type IIs? Puuuullleeezethe Agency surely has gotten a response. dallas cowboys roster 2021 2022; is bodie stroud married; Select Page. Office: (208) 387-5670 Mobile: (208) 616-5547 Carson said the hell with the USFS, more money servicing the war machine in Afghanistan. Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Brian. The USFS cooperates with CAL FIRE, US Department of Interior agencies Bureau of. Do you know anything that can replace a CH-54/S-64 or an S-61? Aircraft types: P2V, HC-130H, BAe-146, MD-87, C-130Q, RJ85, C-130 H & J equipped with Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems (MAFFS). Chief Pilot for the USFS, Abraham Fandrich, retires, Ride with a single engine air tanker as it drops near Borger, Texas, Lockheed looks ahead to advancing capability in wildland firefighting, Aerial Firefighters Association to promote safety, standards, innovation, Coulson tanker down in Western Australia, pilots okay, Helicopter crash kills 2 in Chilean fires. 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 bank to mortgage your house. The following links are provided for Interagency Fire Professionals who are tasked with administering contracts issued by our Unit and is provided solely for that purpose and intent. The administrative bases of the helicopters will be at 48 locations. Post author: Post published: junho 10, 2022 Post category: the gridlessness family Post comments: eyal lalo net worth eyal lalo net worth (Originally published at 5:34 p.m. MT February 8, 2018). 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. So do we get balanced journalism here. Each year, DNR works ahead of the fire season to improve its access to professional equipment and services for fire suppression. Does a 407 not meet the new requirements? Bill is pandering to advertisers and we here at FS have so much knowledge we cant be wrong. Modular AirborneFirefighting System (MAFFS) Mechanics These contracts require continuous availability throughout the mandatory availability period, which can be 180 days or more. . 19th ave apartments phoenix, az. Its coming, and sooner than you expect. Anyone else seeing a trend, that they like to spend money on the most expensive piece of equipment they can find, including fixed wings. 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. DB109437 Archie: Volume 1. Even if a vendor received a guaranteed five-year contract it can be difficult to establish and implement a long-term business plan that would make sense to their banker and the solvency of the company. They can be fitted with tanks or buckets to deliver water and fire retardant to the fireline. With the expiration of contracts for firefighting helicopters looming, the US Forest Service began the lengthy process of issuing new contracts for 2022 on July 7, 2021 with the posting of a presolicitation. The new concept was based on a one year contract. 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 Enter your email address to subscribe and receive notifications of new posts by email. Erickson Incorporated announced three new USFS Firefighting contracts for the upcoming 2021 wildfire season. Other candidates would be the 412, and the other twin engine mediums on the market from AW and Airbus/Eurocopter. Posted by the Forest Service (USDA) . For type 3 helos it may be possible, providing the USFS can double the budget because thats what vendors are going to bid for a new aircraft with higher maintenance cost and complexity, additionally operating hot and high im sure the load charts are going to have to be quite conservative to ensure OEI is landing safely and not just crashing slower, Everything has to be in balance, you cant spend unlimited money, and you cant eliminate all risk, the safest and most inexpensive helicopter is one that sits on the ground. Those who can manage might do fineor they might just get tossed out with the bathwater.. The number of requests for Type 1 helicopters was close to average, but the number of orders that were Unable To be Filled (UTF) was almost double the number of filled orders. Sadly, this is just another reason why operators will have to get out of the fire fighting business or send the aircraft to other countries where they will actually be treated like the critical assets that they are. A quick peruse through that Q&A shows that dozens of operators really gasped when this RFP came out. The agency has posted a second draft of a new Request for Proposals (RFP) and will hold a virtual meeting about the contracts on September 29. Time management skills and Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance is not a skill this outfit excels in.time to get back to timber management and master THAT, if thats possible before trying to re write contracts.maybe this outfit needs to hire some of us aviation professionals to assist the other professional mechanics and pilots on the USFS staff.surely they could assist in helping the contract office in being more realistic, First off its not the contracting office that is being unrealistic. The administrative bases of the helicopters will be at 48 locations. Nor is it actually clear to me that is what is happening. i digress. The Bush fire WAS aggressively IAd, however given the fuel and weather conditions at the time escaped rather quickly. Nope. 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. But we think we are really on the right track with our air tankers.. Free thoughts, free opinions for sure. Last year we saw 18 percent fewer Type 1 helicopters and the number of large air tankers was 57 percent of the recommendation in theNIAC Interagency Aviation Strategy. They claim that 2 times throughout the 1/9 year parent contract, they will allow onboarding of new vendors/equipment. . Retrain public information officers and media how Wildland Fire works, And listening to and heeding the counsel of competent IA resources would go a long way to regaining the confidence of their employees and the general public-, I will chew on your inquiry and sleep on itget back later to you. We have gone a few years in the past 10 where we had zero USFS work at all based on fire behavior but they want their random equipment to be installed on our dime. Wewill award the EU 28 120-day Mandatory Availability Period Type 1 contracts using the CWN BOA to fill the 28 EU line items. Your input here is really helpful. A series of water drops can enable hand crews to make steady progress on active flanks of the fire. The agency felt the surge helicopters were necessary to mitigate a possible decrease in the effectiveness or numbers of their ground forces engine and hand crews. The schedule calls for most of them to begin in April and May. 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? The U.S. Forest Service announced on October 27 they intend to sign contracts with three companies to add five Next Generation large air . In other locations they would just shrug their shoulders and walk away. But it refers to astudy conducted from 2007 to 2009, theNIAC Interagency Aviation Strategy, which concluded that the optimum number of Type 1 helicopters on EU was 34. 25 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/ID[<4B96358E361BA0CE76F6294DEFAC0978>]/Index[10 25]/Info 9 0 R/Length 79/Prev 92044/Root 11 0 R/Size 35/Type/XRef/W[1 2 1]>>stream Putting more aircraft (fixed and rotor) in the air and cutting corners on Aerial Supervision is a bad, bad recipe. In 2017 60 percent of the requests were not filled 220 of the 370 that were needed. Who will buy a 206, 407, etc besides AG guys? 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. The fleet remained at that level until the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020 when they added an additional 22 ships for a total of 50. Given the current climate of helicopter contracts there will be more people getting out of helicopters than getting into them. This amounts to budget dollars that would have to be tied to each individual contract and could not be utilized anywhere else. The what, why and where of this story seems like it warrants additional reporting. Todd more well informed insight here. 0 Office: (208) 387-5609 Mobile: (208) 616-5550 6-month Exclusive Use (EU) contract extensions for 34 Type 2 helicopters with contracts expiring in 2022, utilizing BOAs for remaining EU line items. Lots more. Publications include manuals, handbooks, standards, guides, plans, and other documents. There is no cost, and in case you change your mind each email has an unsubscribe button. These standards assign typing designations based on measurable capability and performance criteria. The three-day operation used a helicopter and high powered rifles to take out the cows in a rugged area where federal officials and environmentalists say the animals have been trampling stream banks, damaging habitat for other species and ruining water quality. Boise, Idaho 83705-5354 The end result is fewer options for the government, but maybe that is what they want. while simultaneously saying that they fully intend on moving to modern helicopters that are built after the year 2000 and are all twin engine. These one-year firefighting aircraft contracts need to be converted to 10-year contracts, and the number of Type 1 helicopters must be restored to at least the 34 we had for years. NWCG Standards for Fire. Chinas new amphibious air tanker conducts ground test of water drop system, More rotor wing help arrives in California, Lockheed looks ahead to advancing capability in wildland firefighting, Aerial Firefighters Association to promote safety, standards, innovation, Coulson tanker down in Western Australia, pilots okay, Helicopter crash kills 2 in Chilean fires. The Agencys incompetence and self sabotage never fails to amaze. In 2016 the FS hired 34 Type 1 helicopters but starting in 2017 reduced the number to 28. I can see daily availability rates sky rocketing, which it sounds like is expected. Candidates include the Bell 429, Airbus/Eurocopter H135 or H145 or other light twins on the market. You FS boys need to stop trying to blame the messenger and take the feedback from industry to heart. On the contractor side, if you want to bid on a contract without those things, fine, lets see how important they really are for the mission by whether the FS still go for the low bid or walk the walk and share the expense of upgrades. The Call When Needed (CWN) Parent Contract is a 1 year with 9 option years contract, with Exclusive Use (EU) contracts being bid *through* the parent contract for 1 year with four option years. The National Interagency Aviation Council study that was approved by the National Wildfire Coordinating Group in July, 2008, recommended that there be on contract in 2012, 34 Type 1 helicopters . Many of us here may not see the inner workings of The Office but we surely do see the end product of some inept folks or folks in the contract office who may not have the fortitude of researching aviation subjects to inform their leadership. Buying a/c is a lot like buying a house. 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 Click here. The FS contracting office posted more than a dozen versions of the presolicitation between July 7 and December 6. Sucks that theyre limiting their choices on the RFP. We live near Custer S.D. This can cool and slow the spread of the fire, enabling crews to work nearer the fire edge. They are all tied to contractors in the business. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Above: N137BH, a Sikorsky70A or Firehawk helicopter, flies to refill its water bucket after dropping on the Rankin Fire in South Dakota September 13, 2017. Just curious on what you think would have made the difference as the Initial Attack IC? They essentially want a Sky Crane to do a Jet Rangers job. Shame on them!! On the other hand when your not spending your own money you can afford an almost $25 million firehawk. The FS would have had the option at their discretion to extend it further in one year increments, up to 9 years for Call When Needed (CWN) helicopters and up to 4 years for Exclusive Use (EU) ships. Guess what those choppers wont have cockpit cameras or loudspeakers or TAS. There is obviously some back door dealing going on with this RFP as it very specifically pushes money to certain equipment providers and tips the hat to certain helicopter companies. Unmanned Aerial Supervision(UAS) Program, Delphine Arizana, Contract Specialist Im waiting for airbags..oh no, wait, they have an explosive charge generator so youll need the whole hazmat approval, and track the squib date to have that particular safety device. NIFC Janitorial They can typically carry 700 gallons of water or retardant via a bucket or a snorkel that fills an internal tank.