stewartwillsher
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- May 15, 2017
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- 1,111
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- Location
- Western Spain and Costa de la Luz
Los Bomberos Forestales are a quasi-military type of firefighters that tackle forest fires all over Spain.
We have a helicopter pad and base within a kilometre of our house and land.
The helicopters are used to either drop bucket loads of water on the fires, or carry firefighters and spotters to where land vehicles cannot reach.
These people are incredibly brave and seem fearless, but each year several are killed doing their job.
Many do not have breathing apparatus and carry only rudimentary tools to tackle the burning vegetation.
Sometimes the trucks and smaller vehicles can approach the fire and hoses might reach, but for much of forestation, it is inaccessible other than on foot or from above.
That is when the airborne assault takes place.
Choppers are permitted to dip huge collapsible buckets into any water source, even using private swimming pools if need be.
Then there are strategically deployed at bases all over Spain a sort of seaplane aircraft, which can scoop up a vast quantity of water from lakes and dammed rivers.
On each pass over a fire they can drop more than most helicopters can.
One year, the mountains above us, were well alight; choppers had been working for a day or two and not making much progress.
Then in came half a dozen of the aircraft (Canadair CL-215 or 415), going back and fro between a huge embalse (dammed river) to the South, and depositing drop after drop of up to six thousand litres of water each pass.
The helicopters, depending on their lifting capacity can dip and drop nearly the same on each go, but most are small aircraft and therefor much less.
It is all very exciting watching the battle from several kilometres away, but the thought of those on the ground risking their lives is a sobering thought.
RESPECT!
We have a helicopter pad and base within a kilometre of our house and land.
The helicopters are used to either drop bucket loads of water on the fires, or carry firefighters and spotters to where land vehicles cannot reach.
These people are incredibly brave and seem fearless, but each year several are killed doing their job.
Many do not have breathing apparatus and carry only rudimentary tools to tackle the burning vegetation.
Sometimes the trucks and smaller vehicles can approach the fire and hoses might reach, but for much of forestation, it is inaccessible other than on foot or from above.
That is when the airborne assault takes place.
Choppers are permitted to dip huge collapsible buckets into any water source, even using private swimming pools if need be.
Then there are strategically deployed at bases all over Spain a sort of seaplane aircraft, which can scoop up a vast quantity of water from lakes and dammed rivers.
On each pass over a fire they can drop more than most helicopters can.
One year, the mountains above us, were well alight; choppers had been working for a day or two and not making much progress.
Then in came half a dozen of the aircraft (Canadair CL-215 or 415), going back and fro between a huge embalse (dammed river) to the South, and depositing drop after drop of up to six thousand litres of water each pass.
The helicopters, depending on their lifting capacity can dip and drop nearly the same on each go, but most are small aircraft and therefor much less.
It is all very exciting watching the battle from several kilometres away, but the thought of those on the ground risking their lives is a sobering thought.
RESPECT!