WHAT WE DO
Air Spray provides critical air tanker and air attack aircraft to aid in the control of wildfires affecting communities and surrounding forests. As our population increases, so does the urban-forest interface. This means that more and more citizens are at risk should a wildfire develop near a community. Without the timely support of air tanker aircraft, communities are unable to prevent a fire from completely destroying homes and property within a matter of minutes.
Air Spray aircraft are on call throughout the fire season to provide fire suppression as quickly as possible. Years of experience have proven the sooner we are able to attack the smaller fire, the more likely we are able to prevent a catastrophic fire that can destroy thousands of hectares of forests and remote communities within a short period of time. |
Air Spray protecting Slave Lake, Alberta
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HOW DO WE DO IT?
At all times Air Spray works in close partnership with our government customers to provide effective Airtanker services. Our primarily role is to provide critical support to crews on the ground. This support may be in the form of:
Our Airtankers usually fly in groups of up to four aircraft depending on the type of aircraft. Each group is led by a “bird-dog” aircraft that directs the group to the most effective and safe drop locations.
- Initial attack on wildfires predicted, or threatening, to exceed the capabilities of ground resources
- Supporting and reinforcing existing control lines
- Limiting the spread of a wildfire (by performing controlled drops on, or in front of, small fires or a portion of larger fires)
- Cooling hot spots (by drops on these areas to bring the temperature down)
- Protecting specific values, such as structures imminently threatened by wildfire
Our Airtankers usually fly in groups of up to four aircraft depending on the type of aircraft. Each group is led by a “bird-dog” aircraft that directs the group to the most effective and safe drop locations.