Rainbow Gathering, Fourth of July activity prompt wildfire helicopters at airport

The horsemen arrived. As a precautionary measure for the next fire season, two helicopters contracted by the U.S. Forest Service – one from the United Nations Aviation, Inc. And another from Renner Haley International – recently landed at Steamboat Springs Airport as a Type 3. Event Management Team.

Forest Service Public Relations Officer Aaron Vos said wildfires were prepared by human activity and that it was common for firefighters to stop at areas where they thought hunting would be more frequent, but confirmed this year’s decision. The staff at Steamboat is not based on any variables, such as the Rainbow Collection, as some assume.

The 50th anniversary of the rainbow gathering will take place near the North Root County Adams Park and could bring tens of thousands of visitors to the national forest.

“This is a big unauthorized meeting,” Vos said. “So many more visitors are coming to the forest. So for that reason and on the fourth holiday of July and the busiest time for recreation and forest tourism in general, we have three emergency management teams out there to respond to a wildfire if necessary.

Vous pre-order is quite common and was the same group from the forest service at Steamboat Airport last year.

Last year was dry and the fire season started very early. The Morgan Creek Fire, 15 miles north of the city, erupted on July 9, 2021, and they were soon forced to leave.

Voos has confirmed that the two helicopters are fully focused on combating wildfires and that they are not part of the previous National Disaster Management Team and have worked closely with law enforcement and have not responded to specialists over the years. Rainbow Meetings.

A.D. Touching the K-1200 or K-MAX on June 21, 2022, is one of the top 20 helicopters in the United States.

Designed to carry external loads of up to 6,000 pounds, KMAX uses pairs of rotors that can be used to stabilize the helicopter even when lifting thousands of pounds of water.

“If you saw a video of these knives moving slowly, you would never get into them,” said Pilot Gus Laptor.

KMAX simply uses a load hook to lift a large bucket, known as a “bucket of water”, which holds 700 gallons. The bucket is suspended 180 feet from the bottom of the plane and pumped.

He said the helicopter was carrying water from lakes, rivers, oceans and swimming pools.

The most recent helicopter, Bell 407, arrived at the station by Bob Adams from the United Nations Aviation, which is intended to transport firefighters to various strategic locations in and near wildfires.

The 407 was touched on Saturday, June 25, and several Forest Service Type 3 Disaster Management Team members.

None of their crews know how long they will stay in Steamboat Springs, as the location of these helicopters will depend on the sudden change of circumstances. They may disappear in two weeks or a few months, or they may not be needed at all.

Mike Swinsk, executive director of the North Ruth Fire Department, said the fire was still high but “at a low level.”

Steam Boat Springs Fire District Chief Chuck Serasoli described Level 2 fire protection restrictions as wet and greener than last year.

“At least at this point, I think things are drying up at an incredible rate,” warns Serasoli. “We’re all a little skeptical to enjoy anything.”

To contact Spencer Paul, call 970-871-4229 or email him at spowell@SteamboatPilot.com.