We dont fly in 58Ts (which I saw on exclusive use contract as an unrestricted as late at 2006) Llamas, etc. And now this year before we head into fall contracting with the MATOC still looming they have changed how they pay us. This would raise the total military budget for the next two years to $1.4 trillion. My look and details are just that- my perception. 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. A current helicopter solicitation that is now paused was offering 1-year contracts. CTS Language Link (On-Demand Remote Interpreting (OPI & VRI) and Document Translation) PADD202000297. Aerial SupervisionModule(Lead Planes) See what happens when the arrogant customer has no place shop! A quick peruse through that Q&A shows that dozens of operators really gasped when this RFP came out. These one-year firefighting aircraft contracts need to be converted to 10-year contracts, and the number of Type 1 helicopters must be restored to at least the 34 we had for years. Those who can manage might do fineor they might just get tossed out with the bathwater.. Unfortunately your assumption is incorrect, the program manager has several years experience in aviation operations and the Helicopter Specialist is one of the best around and also has several years of experience. A nod to newer technology. Thats what happens when non-aviation people get put it charge of aviation programs. 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? Thats discouraging as it suggests that the customer really isnt listening and just providing the perception of doing so.your point of just not choosing to submit if an operator doesnt like it is incredibly insensitive and uninformed. All the UTFs for rotors can get name-tied back to a few individuals at NIFC. 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. Todd more well informed insight here. Lots more. 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. HmmmThey say its for aggressive initial attack but we know that has not been working out, (e.g. I believe the FS had about 6-9 nationally funded HLCO platforms in order to provide aerial supervision to these surge aircraft but this year? They essentially want a Sky Crane to do a Jet Rangers job. Vendors reserve the right to refuse service to the customer that is rude, arrogant and disrespectful. Click here. The ultimate goal is to drive out the independent operator entirely so they can justify owning their own fleet. Without a federal contract, we cant get carded and without cards, we cant work for the state. while simultaneously saying that they fully intend on moving to modern helicopters that are built after the year 2000 and are all twin engine. . 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. Enter your email address to subscribe and receive notifications of new posts by email. Large Jet Transport Forest Service makes major changes in helicopter contracts 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 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.. Erickson Incorporated announced three new USFS Firefighting contracts for the upcoming 2021 wildfire season. All crews have a mixture of men and women totaling 18 to 20 crewmembers. In addition to just a one year guarantee, there were new requirements for equipment to be added to the aircraft requiring significant additional expenditures for the private companies bidding on the services. I say all you vendors simply BOYCOTT the USFS. Office: (208) 387-5609 Mobile: (208) 616-5550 DOI/OAS & Interagency Aviation Bulletins. -noO:y~f9T|}`CN'oS&4F0{@h2{B(bj) 3h~EL9- A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. What do you do with an expensive asset like a helo when youre only customer suggests to just not submit? usfs type 1 helicopter contracts 2021 - santoba.org It seems nothing is making sense anymore, and we are destined to fail if this shortsightedness is allowed to continue. The partners to the USFS are all moving that direction with their purchases of Firehawks. We operate Type III helicopters and are now faced with 40lbs+ of equipment (costing over $60k per aircraft) to meet minimum requirements things that we really dont need like a Traffic Avoidance System (but the ADS-B they required last year isnt good enough) and a loudspeaker (because yelling at the fire helps?). Helicopters also deliver firefighting crews called helitack crews to fires for initial attack. Everyone agrees that the military needs to be adequately funded, but in 2016 the amount the U.S. spent on defense was almost equal to what the next 14 countries combined spent. I agree, to me aggressive initial attack means sending aircraft during initial response, but thats not happening anywhere except CA, that I know of. The U.S. Forest Service (FS) is expecting to contract for 48 Type 1 helicopters for the 2021 wildfire season. They are all tied to contractors in the business. One of our readers whose company has been providing helicopters on the previous contracts has some opinions about the changes the Forest Service is pushing. Puuuullleeezethe Agency surely has gotten a response. Firewatch Cobra (Bell 209/AH-1) Aerial Supervision Helicopter. The Agencys incompetence and self sabotage never fails to amaze. National Air Attack Exclusive Use Aircraft hmo0?n'*$hKjA RHPJX)T|~C}""HFB g R1F$\^=$F~s~m:lLNUy?$4(ci1agLZ^O;js"Yt4cRdQAWx~)x=("B|5df/ed%4&lCh$+M/ooXS{RNrdt PDF 2023 US FOREST SERVICE AIRTANKERS - SCHEDULE OF ITEMS (Mar 1, 2023) Photo by Bill Gabbert. 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. 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. Certainly valid concerns regarding the quantity of helicopters to transition and timeline. LockA locked padlock The Contracting office doesnt make the requirements or evaluation criteria in the solicitation, that is the responsibility of the program office..PERIOD ! Daniels Electronics (Public Safety Communications Products, Services and Solutions) PADD20221183. Obviously another FS fella here. Try to pass on the cost of newer, more expensive equipment in less than 10 years, than the operator fails on the LPTA front b/c his day rate will be too high. The BOA will be used as noted for both Exclusive Use (EU) and CWN Type 1 contracts in 2022. From completely unacceptable accident rates to corrupt hiring decisions and horrendously abysmal contracting they are all utter and complete failures. USFS to contract for 48 Type 1 helicopters this year Woodbury, Bush, and other fires)., As sharedThe Tonto NF blatantly cancelled requests for aggressive initial attack on the Woodbury Fire., I think the Forest Service has zero comprehension of the new breed of forensic fire weather folks quietly documenting all these actionsI hope they understand many savvy folks are watching in prior years and they will continue to do so, Me. 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! Give us folks in the field a little credit for the same credit you so richly deserve, Have a fire aviation news tip? 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. Smokejumper STC What happens when they implement it towards Type Is? Too busy feathering their own nests and grade-hopping they couldnt care less about the program at large. Bill wrote 3 sentences without even putting his opinion in, the overwhelming response is that the only people happy or satisfied with this RFP are the people who wrote it. There was a big demand for the S-61 (w/Carson Blades) along with a call for both pilots and mechanics in Afghanistan on High dollar US Gov. The Bush fire WAS aggressively IAd, however given the fuel and weather conditions at the time escaped rather quickly. Fire managers recognized the value of helicopters to rapidly transport personnel and cargo to a fire, especially in remote locations. With the twin engine requirement would a K-Max also be DQd? You have to love the obvious FS sycophants on here making contemptuous, defensive and specious arguments. In 2016 the FS hired 34 Type 1 helicopters but starting in 2017 reduced the number to 28. CO Support on all major contract programs (Mobile Food Services, Mobile Showers, Type 2 & 2-IA Crews, Retardant Chemicals), Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) Alternate Focal Point Women's Bond NFT Collection usfs type 1 helicopter contracts 2021 . Do any of you FS boys understand how capitalism works? There is no cost, and in case you change your mind each email has an unsubscribe button. NRCG Contracting For Fire >> Equipment Requirements 2. The intent of the USFS for acquiring helicopter services for 2022 is as follows: 1. There are certainly concerns with moving to a twin engine platform related to performance, and Im not currently versed enough in all of the platforms to have an opinion, but I do know that this article doesnt address it and instead seems to be a sounding board for industry without presenting the case for increased firefighter safety and performance in modern aircraft. Well said Maghreb.sadly, doing so would guarantee financial disaster/bankruptcy for the industry while also ensuring that the country and its citizens in fire prone states would be without helos for many more years than just one season.I do love the idea as it would send a message for suremaybe a few calls to the White House make sense here? Typos, let us know, and please keep in mind the commenting ground rules before you post a comment. While Im sure you and the FS believe that all the operators swim in pool fulls of cash and take $$$$millions home every year, that fact of the matter is that Mother Nature and worsening Contracts just dont allow that to happen, so no one can ever just pay for a new a/c with cash from operations. Office: (208) 387-5670 Mobile: (208) 616-5547 Large Jet Transport Oh, and dont glance over the cockpit camera, which they want even on restricted category bucket ships. It is a wonderful day that the good Lord provided for us allright. endstream endobj 11 0 obj <> endobj 12 0 obj <> endobj 13 0 obj <>stream Federal Contract Opportunity for National Exclusive-Use Type 1 and Type 2 Helicopter Modernization SN-2021-01 . Instead of a quick turn around of a week after the invoice closes- the new payment procedure has us waiting the full 30 days. These devices have their place but has any downed firefighting aircraft actually been located by one? This change will be a double edged sword..as operators cannot meet requirements or afford changes they will shut their doors and then already limited resources will be permanently removed for fire. The following links are provided for Interagency Fire Professionals who are tasked with administering contracts issued by our Unit and is provided solely for that purpose and intent. The U.S. Forest Service had estimated there were as many as 150 of the . I think stating more aggressive firing operations is suitable for the Bush Fire, right- sir? Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Brian. Forest Service says there's not enough time to issue new helicopter Dont blame industry for adding on BS items like loudspeakersFS wants it? You must be USFS this sounds exactly like the Q&A session Language will remain as written. The Surge helicopters will be available for a 120-day contract availability period, beginning June 1, 2021 (except for the Santa Fe Surge).
Nyu Salary Band 52 Salary Range, Used Restoration Hardware Cloud Sofa, Articles U