Fighting fire from above: HMH-462 conducts fire bucket training

Photo By Cpl. Michelle Piehl | Nine hundred gallons of water is released onto a simulated wildfire during annual fire bucket training with a CH-53E Super Stallion with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 462 “Heavy Haulers” stationed aboard Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., May 3. The Super Stallion collected water from Pulgas Lake at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., before hauling the bucket for release over the drop zone.  

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES

05.03.2012

Story by Pfc. Michelle Piehl 

Marine Corps Air Station Miramar

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. – A giant orange bucket dangles beneath a CH-53E Super Stallion as pilots direct the aircraft into position hovering over water during fire bucket training aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., May 3.

Pilots and crew with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 462 “Heavy Haulers,” work together to maintain balance between the CH-53E and a Bambi Bucket. Coming in at only 250 pounds, the Bambi Bucket is a lightweight, collapsible water-carrying device used primarily in firefighting missions.

Four pilots participated in the training to ensure the squadron is ready for the upcoming wildfire season.

Crew chiefs direct the pilots to maneuver the aircraft and lower the bucket to fill it with water, explained Capt. Joshua Gates, a pilot and safety officer with HMH-462 and a Shreveport, La., native. Crew chiefs must guide the pilots because the pilots cannot see the bucket. Several factors, such as wind speed, altitude and weight of the bucket all affect how the pilots must fly the aircraft.

“The mission is to fill the bucket up, clear the terrain and try to pinpoint where we drop the water,” said Cpl. Justin M. Wood, a crew chief with HMH-462 and a Euless, Texas, native.

Aircraft drop water in front of a fire to prevent it from moving forward, Wood explained. This line allows wildlife firefighters on the ground to gain control and extinguish the fire. To get the water on line with the fire, the Bambi Bucket operator will signal to release the water, explained Wood.

The Heavy Haulers are no stranger to external carries with other types of vehicles and equipment. However, this type of training proves to be a more difficult form of external.

“The fire bucket remains attached the entire time,” said Wood. “There is no dropping the bucket or releasing it, because it’s attached through the [aircraft] cabin for its power. The whole time the pilots are fighting with it, because when they pick up the water, it [simulates the feel] of an external load. Then they drop the water, but they still have an external load, it is just really light.”

Since the bucket hangs 50 feet below the aircraft, pilots and crew need to maneuver as if the aircraft is flying at an altitude 50 feet lower. This allows them to compensate for the Bambi Bucket and fly safely over any terrain.

Ensuring safety at all times is paramount for the Super Stallion crews, including the safety of humans and wildlife affected by fires.

CH-53E squadrons remain on standby during dry summer months in order to be ready for activation during a fire, typically spanning from June to November.

These training missions with the fire bucket provide an extra level of defense from California wildfires. Completing annual training with the fire bucket ensures the Marines of HMH-462 remain steadfast in readiness to fight fire, wherever and whenever they are called.

• Date Taken: 05.03.2012
• Date Posted: 05.04.2012 19:01
• Story ID: 87935
• Location: MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, CALIFORNIA, US
• Hometown: EULESS, TEXAS, US
• Hometown: SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, US
• Hometown: SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA, US