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? 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.. 64 2021 National Interagency Mobilization Guide . Smaller helicopters carry water in buckets that hold between 100-400 gallons of water. There is no cost, and in case you change your mind each email has an unsubscribe button. does this mean that this program,or whatever it is simply failed? Have a fire aviation news tip? You FS boys need to stop trying to blame the messenger and take the feedback from industry to heart. Its coming, and sooner than you expect. With this new one-year contract policy, obtaining those funds could be even more difficult. They should change their contract terms should change if theyre forcing companies to buy X aircrafts. Bush fire, Heavy IA and A/C response, not much daylight left when start was dispatched. endstream endobj 14 0 obj <>stream Id guess many of them follow your websites, but if not and you have access to them, it would be good to alert them to the commentary here on this pageif anyone else feels strongly negative about this, chime in!! That wind yesterday has me in a sinus pressure headache today. Maybe all of the experienced aviation folks you mention are part of this have never actually had to buy a multi-million a/c, maintain it, crew it and ensure that its operable? The Aviation Branch supports the acquisition of Airtankers, Helicopters, Light Fixed Wing Aircraft, Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS) maintenance, Large Jet Transport and related aviation support including aircraft maintenance, consulting, aircraft purchase, contract pilots and aircraft equipment. Region 6 Cache Freight Services on USFS to contract for 48 Type 1 helicopters this year, on Only 403 of requests for Type 1 helicopters were filled on wildfires in 2017, USFS to contract for 48 Type 1 helicopters this year, Only 40% of requests for Type 1 helicopters were filled on wildfires in 2017, U.S. Forest Service had contracted for 34 EU Type 1 ships, revealed that the six helicopters were being cut, does not make an independent recommendation, 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, Prineville, Oregon (BK-1200) Swanson Group Aviation, Helena, Montana (BK-1200) Central Helicopters, Hamilton, Montana (BV-107) Columbia Helicopters, Custer, South Dakota (BV-107) Columbia Helicopters, Lancaster, California (CH-54A) Siller Helicopters, Minden, Nevada (CH-54A) Helicopter Transport Services. The question and answer document shows the USFS is unwilling to be understanding its our way or the highway, thanks for nothing. Well, maybe in some locations. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Access to these sites is restricted and the information and files provided through these sites is not intended for general disclosure or distribution to anyone other than Authorized Government Representatives and solely for the purpose of facilitating the performance of their Official Duties with respect to their administration of these contracts. Call-When-Needed (CWN) Large Jet Transport, Matthew Olson,Contracting Officer Office: (208) 387-5231 Mobile: (208) 991-7639, Larry Robillard,Contracting Officer 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. 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 SD3-60 Sherpa Avionics Upgrade, Dave Hershey, Contracting Officer Firewatch Cobra (Bell 209-AH-1) Aerial Supervision Helicopter 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. My sympathies lean towards the contractors who despite expending capital, training pilots and mechanics etc. USFS to contract for 48 Type 1 helicopters this year. Sawtooth burned in parts of the fire scar. Sounds like a great schedule to buy a next gen helicopter. In December, 2017 the US Forest Service cancelled a five-year EU contract it had issued the previous year for two CL-415 water scooping air tankers. As a former helitacker I know we were always looking forward to moving to a more modern helicopter fleet. With the twin engine requirement would a K-Max also be DQd? One vendor said new requirements could reduce the number of helicopters on contract. You have to love the obvious FS sycophants on here making contemptuous, defensive and specious arguments. 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. 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. Search: Hotshot Companies Hiring. One important change in 2017 was the 18 percent reduction in the number of Type 1 helicopters on exclusive use (EU) contract. Plate 1. 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. 'KD,.QQD IIuY#\>y(Hd Tj4B%0qz8Qa. The December 13 update did not mention CWN helicopters, so we asked USFS Fire Communications Specialist Stanton Florea about their status. Office: (208) 387-5695 Mobile: (208) 860-7334 The Bush fire WAS aggressively IAd, however given the fuel and weather conditions at the time escaped rather quickly. Office: (208) 387-5252 Mobile: (208) 866-0417 Then why are one year contracts with optional years considered a sustainable way for helicopter companies to provide helicopters for fire fighting? usfs type 1 helicopter contracts 2021 Theyre only offering a one-year contract, said Ron Hooper, president of Missoula-based Neptune Aviation. 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. Erickson wins three USFS 2021 fire contracts 5-Apr-2021 Source: Erickson Erickson Incorporated, a worldwide leading operator, maintainer, and manufacturer of utility aircraft, announces three new USFS Firefighting contracts for the upcoming 2021 wildfire season. These contracts require continuous availability throughout the mandatory availability period, which can be 180 days or more. USFS Aviation Safety Center FAA Safety Program(SPANS) FAA Risk Management Handbook Aviation Mishap Response Guide(2021) Unmanned Aircraft Systems Agency Guides/Manuals BLM Aviation Library USFS Aviation Library Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations EIS Aerial Retardant Application Information Aerial Application of Fire Retardant Air Navigation Imagine that. %%EOF Last year the U.S. Forest Service reduced the number of Type 1 ships by 18%. Thanks for giving us a voice. Try to pass on the cost of newer more expensive equipment in less than 10 years than the operators fails on the LPTA front. . 2. %PDF-1.6 % 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. 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. Those who can manage might do fineor they might just get tossed out with the bathwater.. Why burn off large amounts of the Superstition Mountains? IBC's Acquisition Services Directorate (AQD) is responsible for the acquisition of a full suite of commercial aviation services supporting each bureau in the Department of the Interior, as well as many external customers. Once we get all of that figured out, turns out that the increase in performance specifications at 7,000 / 30C combined with the added equipment pretty much eliminates legacy ships from meeting performance requirements. On a grand scale, the report showed yet again that U.S. military spending easily dwarfed the rest of the world. NICC is the sole source for large transport aircraft holding 14 CFR Part 121 Certificates and for Type 1 and 2 Call-When-Needed (CWN) Helicopters. Its playing out exactly like we (helitack crews who actually do the work and are face to face with the vendors every day) predicted at the beginning of this season. National Maintenance Agreement, Robert Hoffman,Contracting Officer Here is an excerpt: This draft Request for Proposal is such a massive and violent change from what has been requested in previous contracts that most operators arent going to be able to handle it. The administrative bases of the helicopters will be at 48 locations. We live near Custer S.D. hour: $1.31 : 8011: Air Compressor So do we get balanced journalism here. LockA locked padlock Nada! Enter your email address to subscribe and receive notifications of new posts by email. Nor is it actually clear to me that is what is happening. National Air Attack Exclusive Use Aircraft 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. Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) Focal Point, Mike McFarlane,Contracting Officer Faintly, what are the advertisement you see posted on this site? That has to come from Congress to the FS and DOI Chiefs, and then down to them. A fixed wing air tanker that has to refill at an airport takes much longer. A 407 isnt a twin, even tho a 407hp will outperform all the above as a type III. Office: (208) 387-5835 Mobile: (208) 407-6002 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. In 2016 the FS hired 34 Type 1 helicopters but starting in 2017 reduced the number to 28. 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) . Bill has been at this for a long time and has always been a fair arbiter of the facts. 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. Welcome to the Nation's Logistical Support Center | National . They just laugh at us.. If you knew just one thing about contracting it may help. Finally on December 13 they threw in the towel, saying, 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.. A!ican Elephant. 0) Interagency Aviation Life Support Equipment Guide 2021. LockA locked padlock endstream endobj 11 0 obj <> endobj 12 0 obj <> endobj 13 0 obj <>stream U.S. Forest Service employees (Forest Service Internal Link), U.S. Department of Interior (DOI Internal Link). More insanity from the USFS ! The Logistics Branch provides support for WO Fire & Aviation Operations customers (located at NIFC) with the procurement of (urgent/immediate)incidentresources, such as retardant chemicals and related services, mobile food services, mobile shower facilities, firefighting crews, Critical Incident Stress Management Services (CISM) and National Videographer/Photographer Services. in the Black Hills between Custer and Hill City and having one of these is a much needed and necessary thing especially given the dead and down Pine and Spruce trees from the Bark Beatle infestation we suffered through. The Q&A period is a nicety, but rarely ever provides valuable responses to industry. The Branch is comprised of two teams; aviation and logistics. The cheapest camera we could find is $10,000. The Contracting office doesnt make the requirements or evaluation criteria in the solicitation, that is the responsibility of the program office..PERIOD ! Dont you? Exactly. 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 . Not the news we all are hearing. Theres the rub! They requested to remain anonymous in order to avoid retribution from the agency. One thing Ive been dealing with, Rep. Mike Simpson said, are the aviation assets of the Forest Service Are we going to have a clear outline for the next 10-year plan for what the Forest Service needs in terms of air assets? Thats my Commo unit helibase pictured in the photo, and yes we were required to have a PA system to yell at the fire Here is what they wrote. >> EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS. Forest Service and interagency publications are the primary vehicles by which Forest Service and Interagency policy and standards are transmitted. Interested vendors must get their offers to the FS by March 3, 2021. 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? It is very different from putting out an RFQ for an item that a company bids on based on their own estimation of costs that will meet the specification, where nothing has yet been manufactured and nobody really knows what things will cost until they research the bid spec. Women's Bond NFT Collection usfs type 1 helicopter contracts 2021 . while simultaneously saying that they fully intend on moving to modern helicopters that are built after the year 2000 and are all twin engine. What about the forty plus miles along the highway- was that part of the aggressive initial attack or the aggressive firing operations? Aye, Laddie. Erickson Incorporated announced three new USFS Firefighting contracts for the upcoming 2021 wildfire season. No.thats what happens when you have cradle to grave beuracrats (who havnt a clue about running a business) in charge of doling out federal dollars. have no assurance they will garner any sort of benefit for their effort. dallas cowboys roster 2021 2022; is bodie stroud married; Select Page. 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. Given the current climate of helicopter contracts there will be more people getting out of helicopters than getting into them. The ICP may be co-located with the incident base or other incident facilities and provides certain essential auxiliary forms of support, such as food, sleeping areas, equipment, trailers,and sanitation. NIFC Janitorial 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). Federal Contract Opportunity for National Exclusive-Use Type 1 and Type 2 Helicopter Modernization SN-2021-01 . We can only hope the upcoming DOI on-call helicopter RFP due out later this year isnt so crazy. Hows about an STC for personal electronic devices, only available from one company, nobody else in the industry even knows what the hell the STC is or is for! This would raise the total military budget for the next two years to $1.4 trillion. 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. 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. Let the operators upgrade when if/it will work. We all understand that. I would be interested to see more reporting on why the USFS is making this transition now and how they made the decisions. Nobody should bid, then when everything is on fire and the USFS comes begging then youd have some leverage on them. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. October 27, 2021 Forest Service Response: The USFS recognizes the importance of safety recommendation A-10-168 and continues to refine Flight Data Monitoring requirements. Woodbury was in 2019. When I feel less crappy and can give this the focused attention I will write more. The U.S. Forest Service (FS) is expecting to contract for 48 Type 1 helicopters for the 2021 wildfire season. Give us folks in the field a little credit for the same credit you so richly deserve, Have a fire aviation news tip? When the helicopter is in position, the crew releases the water to extinguish hot spots. So do we get balanced journalism here. 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. 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. 34 0 obj <>stream It has been lightly edited. Perhaps thats the point: There are available alternatives on the market that can replace the legacy platforms for type II and III, so we should continue upgrading the fleet as we can. 6-month EU contract extensions for Type 3 helicopters with contracts expiring in 2022, utilizing BOAs for remaining EU line items. 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. Add to this that they are wanting us to throw all of this money into our aircraft to get on the contract (which is now a 10 year contract!) The obvious answer is same thing the US Military replaced the Hueys with, the Blackhawk. Daniels Electronics (Public Safety Communications Products, Services and Solutions) PADD20221183. These proposed contract changes have made working for USFS impossible for most all operators especially restricted categories that will all be phased out when the new 2000 or newer requirement takes affect. Maybe all of the experienced aviation folks you mention are part of this have never actually had to buy a multi-million a/c, maintain it, crew it and ensure that its safely operable? 2. Does anyone smell a red herring or see a strawman waving his arms? 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. Making low bid for a set of parameters the winner will always get you what you pay for, and as weve seen, sometimes a lot less.

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