Scooper Planes douse Rattlesnake Fire near Mosier
Photo by JoeSue Dominguez posted on Columbia Gorge Wildland Fire
By Tom Peterson
Chief Pilot Aaron Vince next to a Fire Boss AT802F in Dallesport on Thursday, July 14.
A grass fire that took out some trees near Mosier on Wednesday, July 13, set the Fire Boss scooper planes into action for the first time this fire season.
The planes, stationed at the Columbia Gorge Regional Airport in Dallesport, are fitted with pontoons that can scoop water from the Columbia River and then make quick strikes on fires.
The blaze near Mosier did not have a chance.
Fire Boss Pilots Aaron Vince and Colby Smith were called out around 3 p.m. on Wednesday and made six water passes on the fire for a total of 3,900 gallons to assist ground crews fighting the fire.
Fire burning in the vicinity of Mosier on July 13. Photo by Kevin McCabe posted on Columbia Gorge Wildland Fire
The fire, possibly caused by a downed powerline according to an Oregon Department of Forestry dispatcher, was in the mop-up stage by 4:35 p.m.
The fire was burning near Hood River Road and Proctor Road, off Old Dalles Road near the top. It was13.9 miles WNW of The Dalles and 4 miles SE of Hood River, according to the Columbia Gorge Wildland Fire and Information Page
“The fire was not doing much,” said Fire Boss Chief Pilot Vince on Thursday, July 14. “That indicates that the fuels are still a little green as it has not dried out completely yet. But things are starting to pick up and there is a lot of wind in the forecast.”
Pilot Colby Smith
Unusually high amounts of rain this spring have also increased the tonnage of grasses throughout the mid-Columbia area, which if sparked can burn miles in minutes under heavy winds.
On the plus side, cooler temperatures have prevailed so far this summer, comparatively speaking, with temperatures tipping 100 degrees Fahrenheit just a few times.
Car fires, ill-advised cigarette butts tossed from vehicles and lightning strikes, all can play a part in fire season.
The upcoming wheat harvest also poses some additional risk for fire as heavy equipment such as wheat trucks and combines have caused fires in the past.
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This year, Fire Boss pilots have the ability to automatically mix Blaze Tamer into the scooped water. It is a surfactant or sticker which helps the water bond to the burning materials.
“It makes water, wetter,” Vince said laughing.
Vince said they began flying fires in Texas in February and then flew to Dallesport on June 26. He expects to be here into September.
The Fire Boss Planes have proven their merit in making quick strikes to put out fires in a day or two that once went for several days if not weeks.
The Fire Boss Planes are part of Coastal Air Strike, a company based in the small town of Roe, Arkansas, and owned by Michael Hutchins. Hutchins is also a relief pilot for the crew based in Dallesport.
The Fire Boss scooper plane has a 1600 horsepower turbine engine giving pilots the power to skim the water at 60 miles per hour; the floats of the plane are buried two to three feet deep in river or lake water.
Hydraulic rams deploy the 2-inch intakes from the floats or pontoons and 600 gallons of water is forced into the water tank in the fuselage of the plane in 10 seconds. The Oregon Department of Forestry contracted Coastal Air Strike in 2021 for the first time to provide air support in fires.
That’s a major change as prior contracts for their services were with Washington's Department of Natural Resources. It gave Oregon the first crack at the quick-striking planes.
Click here to learn more about the pilots and the FireBoss.
Plane bonus below. These three aircraft were sitting on the tarmac in Dallesport on Thursday, July 14.
The jet to the left is a 2014 Bombardier BD-700-1A11 with Rolls-Royce Turbo Fans. The center plane is a 1981 Embraer EMB 110P1. The plane on the right is a 2000 Gulfstream Aerospace G-V. Source FAA.
