usfs type 1 helicopter contracts 2021david and kate bagby 2020
3833 S. Development Avenue But it refers to astudy conducted from 2007 to 2009, theNIAC Interagency Aviation Strategy, which concluded that the optimum number of Type 1 helicopters on EU was 34. The U.S. Forest Service (FS) is expecting to contract for 48 Type 1 helicopters for the 2021 wildfire season. Just need to add, Mama told me the customer is always right. HMS8:A[>!Leq`dXfgo$av`w*ldevq7mXm`F,s}PA.?|ZA[7lY7z rCXB:Y;M7\c>]-kFt^j1_>ey)4?haGUEX5M7IW? xt*9b`w,$$B.vc&8Hx.Yjf9N3 |B^gW?.n}tZ8 The administrative bases of the helicopters will be at 48 locations. You must be USFS this sounds exactly like the Q&A session Language will remain as written. The banker looks at your household income and job stability. What light twin replaces a 407? Examples include an ax or pulaski, tire chains, 5-person first aid kit, and rollover protection. Aye, Laddie. Buying a/c is a lot like buying a house. They should change their contract terms should change if theyre forcing companies to buy X aircrafts. Cell phone gps location, sat phones and ADSB are far more useful. With the expiration of contracts for firefighting helicopters looming, the US Forest Service began the lengthy process of issuing new contracts for 2022 on July 7, 2021 with the posting of a presolicitation. The new concept was based on a one year contract. We really love being on Team USFS. Each time I go to sleep, wondering will I awake? Have you sir watched or measured the burn scars to see how many miles apart the fires were on the Bush or any of the fires from last Seasonyou will find the distance between the fire on the ground quite interesting that using the word escape would fail to be a suitable word for the Bush Fire or other fires. The U.S. Forest Service has 18 large air tankers on exclusive use (EU) contracts this year. 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. Many of us here may not see the inner workings of The Office but we surely do see the end product of some inept folks or folks in the contract office who may not have the fortitude of researching aviation subjects to inform their leadership. https://www.kelly.senate.gov/, I think many of us do understand the contracting world and the pages put out by the head shed. Web portals include key information that is updated on a continuous schedule. Typos, let us know, and please keep in mind the commenting ground rules before you post a comment. Those who can manage might do fineor they might just get tossed out with the bathwater.. We cant go to the bank with a one-year contract to finance airplanes. Does a 407 not meet the new requirements? What do you do with an expensive asset like a helo when youre only customer suggests to just not submit? Access to the U.S. Forest Service Contracting, Incident Support Branch, DOI SharePoint Page must be granted individually. Carson said the hell with the USFS, more money servicing the war machine in Afghanistan. 2. DO NOT listen to your bosses, DO THE RIGHT thing and pull this RFP back and get it rightMILLIONS of U.S. citizens are expecting that you will. Federal Contract Opportunity for National Exclusive-Use Type 1 and Type 2 Helicopter Modernization SN-2021-01. At least two CL-415s were removed from USFS contracts and placed on a state contract this year too. 16, 2020. Office: (208) 387-5272 Mobile: (208) 616-5546 I think you answered your own question with why are they only replacing type II and III legacy platforms and not type I? There is no cost, and in case you change your mind each email has an unsubscribe button. A lock ( Other candidates would be the 412, and the other twin engine mediums on the market from AW and Airbus/Eurocopter. Type 1 helicopters are the largest used on fires, carrying 700 to 2,800 gallons. These are the largest helicopters used for fighting wildland fires in the United States and can carry between 700 and 3,000 gallons of water. Much of the defense budget is spent in countries on the other side of the world. Puuuullleeezethe Agency surely has gotten a response. They simply never had to deal with these considerations. They can typically carry 700 gallons of water or retardant via a bucket or a snorkel that fills an internal tank. In fact, for the helicopter operators engaged in aerial firefighting, the Type-1s have become the preferred helicopter type, as they transition away from aging, smaller Type-2 and Type-3 modelsboth types with 9 seats or less, and with respective certified internal gross weights of 7,000 to 14,000 pounds (Type 2), and under 7,000 pounds (Type 3); Maybe they could have figured out a better transition, maybe not. Here is what they wrote. A quick peruse through that Q&A shows that dozens of operators really gasped when this RFP came out. Basic Ordering Agreements (BOAs) for 28 - Type 1 helicopters having 120-day mandatory availability periods. 2021. Enter your email address to subscribe and receive notifications of new posts by email. The partners to the USFS are all moving that direction with their purchases of Firehawks. 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? The U.S. Forest Service (FS) is expecting to contract for 48 Type 1 helicopters for the 2021 wildfire season. We operate Type III helicopters and are now faced with 40lbs+ of equipment (costing over $60k per aircraft) to meet minimum requirements things that we really dont need like a Traffic Avoidance System (but the ADS-B they required last year isnt good enough) and a loudspeaker (because yelling at the fire helps?). 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. 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!) Type 1 are known as Interagency Hotshots Crews (IHC), faster production, highly skilled, extensive training, advanced qualifications, and arduous physical standards. One of our readers whose company has been providing helicopters on the previous contracts has some opinions about the changes the Forest Service is pushing. There is obviously some back door dealing going on with this RFP as it very specifically pushes money to certain equipment providers and tips the hat to certain helicopter companies. Just more bureaucratic nonsense,and incompetence form the USFS. Moving to 10-year contracts for firefighting aircraft was mentioned several times in an April 15 hearing before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, featuring U.S. Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen and her testimony. Several vendors opted for EU contracts with states instead of the USFS. does this mean that this program,or whatever it is simply failed? U.S. Forest Service employees (Forest Service Internal Link), U.S. Department of Interior (DOI Internal Link). 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. 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!! Helicopters can often refill with water from a nearby lake or tank, making 5 to 15 minute turnarounds. In other locations they would just shrug their shoulders and walk away. DB109437 Archie: Volume 1. Your last sentence is the the nail in the coffin.seeing as that this contract will be LPTA and a year to year option, how do you finance a new a/c that will surely be $2-$4M on the low end? Objectives, Policy, Scope of Operations and Administration Chapter 10 1 1 Chapter 10 - Objectives, Policy, Scope of Operation and Administration 2 3 Mission Statement 4 The principal mission for theCalifornia Geographic Area Coordination Centers (GACC) is cost-effective 5 and timely coordination of wildlandprotection agency emergency response for fire and all risk For type 3 helos it may be possible, providing the USFS can double the budget because thats what vendors are going to bid for a new aircraft with higher maintenance cost and complexity, additionally operating hot and high im sure the load charts are going to have to be quite conservative to ensure OEI is landing safely and not just crashing slower, Everything has to be in balance, you cant spend unlimited money, and you cant eliminate all risk, the safest and most inexpensive helicopter is one that sits on the ground. So, because the Forest Service wants to push all but the top tier of their options out, they are essentially putting every government agencys resources at risk. The FS contracting office posted more than a dozen versions of the presolicitation between July 7 and December 6. 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.. . 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. Just like how the new GM Suburban for Diplomates costs millions of dollars each and the contract went to the one company that can make it. Air Tanker 163, an RJ 85, at Rapid City December 12, 2017. Heat Wave DB109505 12 hours 52 minutes by TJ Klune read by Michael Lesley . The single vs twin vs safety argument doesnt have a clear winner unless youre talking about CAT A capable aircraft. National Exclusive Use Helicopters (Large Fire Support/Initial Attack) The Q&A period is a nicety, but rarely ever provides valuable responses to industry. In addition the Logistics Branch provides procurement support for eleven National Cachesfor wildland fire suppression and prevention, as well as other emergency incident response activities. Each year, DNR works ahead of the fire season to improve its access to professional equipment and services for fire suppression. I am curious as to your solution on how to better handle the fire season? Woodbury Fire, I cannot speak to. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Maybe they could have figured out a better transition, maybe not. Todd more well informed insight here. 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. In addition, the federal land management agencies said last year they were going to limit the number of less-than-full-suppression fires and attack new ignitions aggressively.
