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New Aircraft Incorporated to Combat Forest Fires in Malleco

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It is a powerful helicopter that represents an extremely important preventive contribution ahead of the summer season that has just begun and is already bringing high temperatures.

Summer has just begun, and high temperatures have been felt in recent days in the province of Malleco, prompting authorities to issue a yellow alert due to the high likelihood of forest fires, as has occurred in previous years, affecting thousands of hectares, homes, and even causing loss of lives in various communes.

In this regard, the provincial presidential delegate of Malleco, Leandro Reyes Sanhueza, accompanied by the provincial head of Conaf in Malleco, Jorge Salvo, presented the new aircraft to local media. From now until the end of the season, it will be available for the province and its surroundings.

It is a powerful helicopter capable of carrying up to 3,500 liters of water in a single trip, at high speeds and with great maneuverability when combating forest fires from the air.

"Early in the morning, we had a Cogrid meeting, where we indeed participated in a coordination meeting with Conaf, the Army, Carabineros, the COP, firefighters, the PDI, among others, to coordinate and prepare as best as possible for what lies ahead due to the current and upcoming weather conditions until next Wednesday. The truth is that there is a high probability of fires occurring; in fact, we have already had outbreaks in different communes of the province—Collipulli, Angol, Los Sauces, and Purén—so we have also made the necessary coordination for surveillance in the areas where these multiple outbreaks have occurred," stated the delegate.

One of the most important resources available this year in the area is precisely this helicopter, "which allows combating fires here that spread with incredible speed and has a very significant water storage capacity. So, with all these resources, plus those from forestry companies, the contributions municipalities could provide, and the resources we have from all municipalities with their trucks, water tanks, etc., we are prepared for what’s coming this season. We know we have suffered many tragic experiences, and we don’t want them to repeat, so we must be prepared and coordinated to face this," added Reyes.

The Aircraft

The provincial head of Conaf, Jorge Salvo, specified that it is "a Black Hawk, a heavy helicopter for us, which can travel at a fairly fast speed, has two very powerful engines, allowing a water load of up to 3,500 liters in its Bambi bucket, with a long-lasting, or rather, long-sized line, enabling the pilot to make very precise water drops when on the ground. It has a flight autonomy of over 2 hours, and combined with its speed, it can carry out multiple missions in a short time. Therefore, it is a helicopter well-suited to the conditions of Malleco province."

In addition to this aircraft, Salvo mentioned that "we have four planes, one coordination plane also used for patrol, and two helicopters, which are two Bell 412s, capable of carrying up to 1,200 liters of water in their Bambi buckets and also transporting crews. And we have this, the largest helicopter we’ve received. With this helicopter, the reinforcement is clear—water use in forest fires is crucial, not just the quantity but also the efficiency. These helicopters can perform not only single drops but also sequential drops with that amount of water, allowing ground personnel to indicate very precise points for releasing the water and effectively attacking the fire."

Investment and Crew

To make this helicopter available to the province, a significant investment has been made, which Salvo detailed as $7,400,000 pesos. "This helicopter has a 90-day contract, and like all aircraft contracts, it can be extended depending on conditions, though we hope it won’t be necessary."

On the other hand, one of the crew members of the newly arrived helicopter, Olver Habib, explained that "this aircraft has a dual crew, so it can fly more than 8 hours a day. With a single crew, it’s limited to 8 hours of flight per day, but since we have dual crews, we could practically operate from sunrise to sunset, attacking fires all day."

In total, there are 7 crew members: "There is logistical support, fuel support, ground mechanical support, and we have two captains, two co-pilots, and a flight engineer. We can reach speeds of 270 kilometers per hour, and it has a large water capacity—the engines are very powerful."

Source:Las Noticias de Malleco