As most of
you know Hazleton and Mid-State are home to several Single Engine Air Tankers
that coordinate with our firefighters to help battle wildfires in
Pennsylvania. But did you know that SEATs have their own firefighting tactics?
They have both direct and indirect forms of an attack like
firefighters do.
When they attack directly their goal is to knock down flames
with the retardant so that ground crews can build a fire line more safely and
effectively.
DIRECT ATTACK
For an indirect attack, their goal is to reinforce constructed fire
lines with retardant.
INDIRECT ATTACK
Here is a photo that labels parts of a fire so that you can follow along with the descriptions of their tactics:
Tactics:
ANCHOR AND FLANK
When SEATs use the anchor and flank
method, they establish an anchor point and begin working either one or both
flanks of the fire with their retardant drops.
HOOK/PINCH
This tactic is often referred to as
“turning the corner” or “pinching the head off.” These aerial drops progress
from the flank around the head of the fire.
NARROW VEE
The narrow vee is aggressive and used
to quickly catch the head of a small fire. If the SEATs use this additional
hose lays or line construction MUST follow soon.
WIDE VEE
This tactic is attempted when the ground
crews are delayed, they drop a little in front of the head of the fire to “slow
it down” or “buy you time” until the crew gets there.
PRE-TREAT
This is not meant to catch the fire
itself but to provide support by reinforcing a natural barrier to lower fire
spot spread and assist with backfiring operations. Dropped on the green side of
the fire or on the lee side of a ridge.
TANDEM AHEAD
With this, a SEAT will tie in where
ground forces left off, rather than from the anchor point. The goal here is to
lower the intensity of the fire so ground crews can work more safely and
efficiently.
TANDEM BEHIND
Used to reinforce hastily created
fire lines, most often it is being used when high values are being protected.
ANGLE TIE-IN
The SEAT will anchor from a barrier
and work across the head would usually be followed with firing operations to the
barrier. It provides a defendable tie to the anchor point.
SPOT FIRE
This is an aggressive tactic used to
prevent a small spot fire from growing. The SEAT will put an “X” on the spot
fire, usually dropping from two directions for better coverage.
ANGLE OUT
The goal here is to pre-treat and
contain growth and is used when you can’t get to the origin of the fire (steep
or congested terrain).
COOLING CONVECTION
The goal is to cool down the fire by
dropping into the head. The tanker will drop tight to the backside of the
flames which allow for convection wind to draw the retardant into the flames.
