Essential Helicopters in the Fight Against Forest Fires

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Philippe Mahé, préfet, Dominique Lain, président du Conseil d'administration du Service d'Incendie du Var, et de Secours du Var (SDIS 83), and Contrôleur Général Éric Grohin, departmental director, met the helicopter crews stationed for the summer season at the Base Hélicoptère de la Sécurité Civile (EALAT), in Le Cannet-des-Maures. It was an opportunity to recall the characteristics and missions of each helicopter dedicated to firefighting.

DRAGON 83

The Sécurité Civile helicopter (a State resource), Dragon 83, is hosted at the base of the école du 2ème régiment des hélicoptères de combat (RHC) in Le Cannet-des-Maures from July 1 until the end of the summer season. "It is a seasonal detachment that can be activated 24/7 all summer. The crew is present on base from 9 a.m. until 30 minutes before sunset; the rest of the time, they remain on call. The crew includes a pilot, a Sécurité Civile flight engineer, a doctor from the sous-direction santé, a nurse from the sous-direction santé, and a member of the Secours en milieu périlleux et montagne (SMPM). Last year, Dragon 83 carried out 136 rescue missions (emergency medical aid, rescue of persons in perilous or aquatic environments, command assistance on forest fires, secondary transport missions, and missions for the benefit of the police or bomb disposal experts)," specified the préfet du Var. The Centre Opérationnel de la Zone de défense Sud (COZ SUD) deploys Dragon 83 for these missions.

SDIS DU VAR

The two water-bombing helicopters (HBE, departmental resources – MORANES 83) have the capacity to intervene on forest fires to reinforce ground resources or other aerial resources. "They have a pilot and a firefighter officer on board throughout the intervention and are dispatched by the Centre Opérationnel Départemental d’Incendie et de Secours (CODIS) at every outbreak of fire in Var, and they operate in pairs. There are 4 HBEs in July and August, and 2 in June and September. Based in Fréjus, Le Castellet, and Le Cannet-des-Maures (2 machines), their water capacity is 1,000 liters, providing significant support to firefighters on the ground. In addition to their rapid response capability at any fire outbreak, they are able to provide information to CODIS on the scale of the fire. Annually, leasing the water-bombing helicopters costs SDIS 83 €1.5 million. It is an investment that is very quickly amortized since the intervention of the HBEs makes it possible to prevent the progression of a very large number of forest fire outbreaks in the department. They are an essential link in the doctrine of rapid and massive attack of any fire outbreak during the high-risk period. In 2021, a particularly active year for forest fires, the water-bombing helicopters carried out 2,000 drops, including 1,300 on the Gonfaron fire. This doctrine has largely proven itself over many years, as 95% of fire outbreaks are controlled before reaching 5 hectares," insisted the président du Conseil d’administration du SDIS du Var.

PUMA CHARLIE

The heavy water-bombing helicopter with the callsign "PUMA CHARLIE" is a helicopter leased by the State and equipped with 4,000 liters of water, making it essential and efficient on forest fires. The crew consists of two HBE-qualified pilots, a flight engineer, a "helper," and an HBEL officer. "The deployment of the HBEL is carried out exclusively at the request of COZ Sud, and its missions are diverse. Although it is known for being a formidable water-bomber on starting or already established fires, it can also transport personnel and equipment for forest fire missions such as the DIH (détachement d’intervention héliporté). Furthermore, when there is fire pressure in Var or neighboring departments, the HBEL can conduct armed aerial patrol. It intervenes in the area more quickly since it is already flying over the territory. This HBEL is prepositioned in Le Cannet-des-Maures from July 1 to August 31," added the representative of the State. Finally, SDIS prepositiones the Groupe d’Intervention Feux de forêt (GIFF). Indeed, depending on weather conditions, GIFFs are set up to form the preventive ground deployment. A GIFF consists of a command vehicle and 4 forest fire-fighting vehicles, making a total of 18 firefighters. Var has 60 registered locations. When the danger level increases, the equivalent of 22 GIFFs can be prepositioned in the field or in rescue centers, representing nearly 400 firefighters.