What safeguards are in place for airtanker pilots fighting fires in BC?
Posted May 24, 2015 2:13 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – BC’s airtanker program has been busy this spring, with 72 firebombing missions so far this season.
There are a number of safeguards in place, including the use of what is called a bird dog aircraft.
“[It] is a more agile aircraft to fly in each bombing run, in advance of heavier air tankers. We do that in order to identify all of the hazards and ensure that the risk exposures are acceptable,” explains Mike Benson, Superintendent of Provincial Air Tanker Operations for British Columbia.
These days, airtanker pilots receive plenty of training before they ever take to the sky. “They’re trained on a state-of-the-art flight simulator, which is located in Kamloops, and it simulates mountainous terrain and simulated bombing missions, ensuring that these trainees can safely conduct air tanker missions in this sort of challenging environment.”
However, despite the best preparations, deaths still happen. Next door in Alberta, a 38-year-old pilot from Cranbrook died after his firefighting plane went down near Cold Lake on Friday.
In 2010, two air tanker pilots from Edmonton were killed when their aircraft went down 15 kilometres south of Lytton.
