FIRE IN THE HOLE
One of the many capabilities of the CH47D Chinook helicopter is aerial firefighting. Contrary to modern beliefs, we do not have a red helicopter filled with firefighters wearing their rubber boots and hard-hats with a shiny bell and a Dalmatian in the cockpit. The Chinook can haul a bucket externally hanging from 100 foot slings that holds up to 2,500 gallons of water. This isn’t something we do routinely; however, in the event of an inferno like the wildfires seen in New Mexico and California each summer, these fire buckets can deliver a lot of water in a short amount of time- repeatedly.
About a two-hour drive north of Venice, Italy there is a small town tucked away in the Dolomite Mountains (which eventually merge into the Alps). The town of Mezzamonte, population 73, runs along a single mountain road lined on either side by white-washed stone houses built centuries ago. On a sunny August morning, after weeks of drought, Mezzamonte was in danger of burning into oblivion as a forest fire had literally encircled the town.
The mission came down at about 1000 hours (10:00 a.m.) on a Thursday morning and as aerial firefighting was NOT something we did often, myself and a couple of fellow crewdogs went out to run some checks on the fire bucket (the unit only had one) while still two more crewdogs prepared the aircraft for flight. There was a sense of urgency, an excitement in the air, as we methodically ran through our checks. Lives were at stake and we knew that we couldn’t afford to find out that the bucket was inoperable while hovering some 150 feet over the fire.
I remembered visiting Mezzamonte one time before (I was prone to taking the Jeep on rides through the mountains during my off-duty time) and having lunch at a little restaurant, or Trattoria, on the first floor of an old three-story house. La Stella, the Star, was the name of this quaint eatery that I’m sure would not be listed in Michelin’s Red Book guide to restaurants and hotels. I stepped into the sparse dining area sitting at one of five rickety wood tables and marveled at the colorful frescoes painted on the stonewalls by some unknown starving artists undoubtedly painting in exchange for a meal. A portly woman of about 50 years, wearing an apron stained from hours of working in the kitchen, approached my table with a bottle of water and a bottle of wine in each hand. Setting the refreshments in front of me, she announced, somewhat matter-of-factly, that today she has prepared a pasta dish of tortellini smothered in a cheesy cream sauce with diced proscuito ham, a tossed salad prepared from vegetables that earlier in the day had been growing in the garden outside behind the kitchen, and freshly baked bread. Turning over a glass in front of me, she continued to offer a meat dish of veal scaloppini in a Marsala sauce or some roasted chicken with potatoes and rosemary herbs. I went with the pasta, salad, and bread making a note to return sometime to try the rest. It was a meal fit for a king but prepared for a peasant, which when complimented with the homemade wine, defined the taste of Italy.
Because of some diplomatic road bumps involving the U.S. military interacting with local civilian agencies, we did not launch until just after 1200 hrs (noonish). We flew out to the area and could immediately see the smoke rising into the air. It was evident that this fire had been burning for some days as much of the flora was scorched for miles along the slope of the mountain. Fortunately, there was a lake (Lake Barcias) not far from the town and we were able to dip from it filling our fire bucket quickly. We began dropping 2,500 gallons of water on the flames closest to the edge of the town repeatedly in an effort to stall the inferno’s progress.
To perform such a mission, the Flight Engineer (FE) literally lays on the floor of the Chinook looking out a 3×3 foot square opening at the fire bucket dangling from slings below. The FE holds in his or her hand a release button that when pressed signals a mechanism allowing the bucket to drop the water (kind of like flushing a toilette). The FE plays a critical role in maneuvering the aircraft into position by relaying what he or she sees and giving directions for re-positioning to the pilot over the intercom. Once in position, the FE “flushes the toilette” and lets the pilot know that its time to go back to the lake for a refill.
The biggest challenge of this task is hovering about 150 feet over incredibly hot flames that often produce a thick smoke from the burning green trees. The next time you are grilling, place your hand above the coals- that rising heat is what we felt as we laid over the hole calling the fire bucket into place for nine-hours straight. Add to that the breathing in of acrid smoke and I think its safe to say that aerial firefighting can be a little unpleasant at times. By the end of the mission, my face was a bit scorched (looked like a sunburn) and I had a nasty cough for a couple of days after.
Three days of non-stop flying allowed us to stall the blaze long enough for the ground firefighters to make some progress and the town was saved. There were only two minor injuries to the residents and one barn damaged by the flames. I hoped that La Stella would be opened soon and thought to take some of my fellow crewdogs with me for a feast. Sgt Hook out.
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