If you’ve found yourself wondering “where the heck is the aircraft?” while watching a fire burn near you, this is the episode for you.

Guest Matt Lynde—a helicopter operations specialist for the Forest Service’s Regional Office in California—gave us a run-down on why some fires have huge airshows and others have almost none, and even tackled a few common misconceptions about the use of aircraft in fighting wildfires. Among these misconceptions is the idea that aircraft put fires out and that if you don’t see aircraft on a fire, that means it’s not a high priority for fire managers. As Matt explains in this episode, there’s a ton that goes into the decisions on where aircraft goes and when, and noted how challenging it is to prioritize certain fires over others during big fire seasons when resources are limited.

Matt also spoke about his career as a helicopter coordinator, and how he climbed the ranks from being on engines and helitack for the Forest Service early in his career to finding an interest in aerial supervision and coordination later in his career. If you have an interest in working on the aerial side of things within the Forest Service, this is a good episode for you.

This episode of Life with Fire was created in conjunction with Region Five of the Forest Service, for a project that explores some of the common public misconceptions about aerial firefighting. The full Storymap can be found here. 

Timestamps: 

00:00 – Episode Introduction

05:07 – Matt’s Introduction And Background 

06:51 – Helicopter Coordinator Position Details

08:38 – Matt’s Initial Interest In Aviation 

10:22 – Changes In Air Attack 

12:19 –  Safety Procedures And Risk Factors of Aerial Firefighting

14:45 – Misconceptions About Aircraft Firefighting

17:36 – Benefits Of Helicopter Coordination

18:53 – Fire Retardant Use—Benefits and Limitations

20:14 – How Aircraft Supports Firefighters On The Ground 

23:32 – Other Limitations To Fighting Fire With Aircraft 

25:06 – What Factors Inform Availability of Aerial Support 

28:02 – Lack Of Resources Problem 

30:03 – Outro