New Helicopters For Night Wildfire Fighting

https://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/10710913-181/california-spends-nearly-300-million?sba=AAS


Good afternoon all,

Per ...

The new helicopters can operate at night.

They drop water after other aircraft drop retardant.

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As a private citizen looking at this, it seems like much cost and dangerous efforts involved so some people can live in nice forest areas. Had always thought California had a housing problem near the cities with jobs.

 

The "new" helicopter's been around for almost 50 years -- at least the airframe has. Sikorsky won the competition in 1972 and the UH-60's first flight was in 1974. I don't know abouit its carbon footprint, but it is one noisy mo-fo, that's for sure.

 

Why don't they just spend the money on cleaning up the brush instead?

 

Good morning F22,

In reply;

Because the objective is to allow for building residences that generate county taxes.

The aircraft and related support systems are not paid for by the county.

It's a big business - money-wise.

Western forest conditions are about the same as they always were less the new houses arriving on the scene. This is what caused the land disturbance and the adjust life-cycle that nature has to adjust to the new houses. It's going to be a forest fire / wild fire or insect disease.

Like I say: The counties are the problem.

 

Taxes must have a lot to do with it. However, were I an insurance company underwriter, I would NEVER approve fire insurance for pine-forest areas. Or I'd put the price high enough to cover company losses.

There is far too much underbrush to clean-up. Forest fires are part of the natural life cycle of pine forests. Fires allow the germination of pine seeds.

https://www.nationalforests.org/our...ine/how-trees-survive-and-thrive-after-a-fire

My word to the people who move into pine forested areas: Tick ... tick ... tick ... tick ... tick ... tick ... tick ... tick ... tick ...