| On 8 AUG 14 three aircraft (chalk numbers 831,823,838) working the LODGE incident were dropping water on the left shoulder of a fire that was rapidly rising up a ridge in the vicinity of
Brushy Mountain. As the fire grew in intensity in both a massive smoke cloud rising almost straight up and incredible heat and flame the Helco (Helicopter manager flying overhead; Helicopter
Control (Helco)) restricted the helicopters to 3100’ and brought in multiple fixed wing retardant drops. The fire continued to climb and advance rapidly.
While going to get another bucket of water from the North Dip (a relatively tight fit surrounded by trees and steep hills but holding a deep pool of water of about eight feet deep) Helco called to identify which helicopter was next in line in order to direct into a new site. This was late in the afternoon about 1900 hours. Chalk 831 was the first aircraft into the dip and all aircraft acknowledged the radio call and planned to follow in trail to the new location. Helco then informed us there had been some firefighters burned and we were directed to support those crews up the ridge on the dozer line. There was a noticeable increase in vocal tension on the radio. All aircraft have a Helicopter Manager on board (Military Helicopter Manager: MHEM) as well as the aircraft having pilots who are also firefighters. The concern of the group was immediately heightened and a higher level of resolve became evident within our crew and I am sure the other crews. We didn’t know the level of injuries of the firefighters on the ground at that time but based upon our view of the fire we feared the worst. Helco directed us to take our buckets up to the dozer line (which was about 4 bulldozer blades wide but as narrow as one fire engine wide in spots) to line up for our drop. Chalk 831 lined up on the dozer line and began a run into the smoke and flame. Helco directed that the water be used to cool off the fire as much as possible. The crew chief, SGT Boni, commented that it was going to be like going into the “belly of the beast” as we made our first approach. The crew in back have a much better view of the fire underneath as they are leaning out the window or side looking straight down and able to get a closer and clearer view of everything directly in front of and below the helicopter even in the smoke and flame. Our MHEM Neal told us that in this case of helicopter fire operations one bucket of 640 gallons is still like just “spitting in a fire” as far as actually putting out a fire. This was an emergency assistance drop to reduce the overall temperature and provide some opportunity for the crew to move to safety or add some protection. We maintained a level attitude at about 3100’ and advanced into the smoke. I was focusing on maintaining heading and a precise altitude without looking down once our view of the dozer line became obscured by the smoke. My copilot (CW2 Mosley, LA county firefighter as a full time job) was directing and monitoring the torque, searching for the engine and crew while tracking the dozer line. SGT Boni and our MHEM Neal Czpaniski were struggling to maintain visibility with the trees while we waited for the water release. Because of our prior experience on Brushy Mountain performing a recon for a repeater cell we knew the trees on that ridge were the highest obstacle present and we were able to be clear of them heading into the smoke. The smoke was a towering cloud pluming up thousands of feet. Surprisingly the turbulence was not as bad as we had previously experienced during the day and we were able to maintain a relatively satisfactory power range. Our flight path along the ridge was perfect to use what wind was available to maintain a steady flight path. As we entered the smoke and flame SGT Boni and MHEM Czpansiki talked rapidly back and forth identifying the precise target area, directing me one half rotor blade left and ensuring I was on exactly the right path moving into the drop zone and counted down as we approached the drop “Five, four, three..two.. one… water is away!” I held the aircraft steady for another 5 seconds so the water would fall straight down on the target in a line and the co-pilot cleared the aircraft left into our established escape route. I couldn’t see anything but smoke as the terrain fell away quickly and there were no visual references available for several seconds as we finally cleared the smoke and went into clear air. We immediately established on the route back to the dip site for another bucket and repeated the same activity four more times. We were low on fuel and were able to return straight back to the HELIBASE following our last drop in clear air. The other crews were a part of the daisy chain and some remained on the fire after we left because of low fuel. The crews involved from our group were: Chalk 831: PC LTC Mark Kampa, PI CW2 Clint (Buckets) Mosley, CE SGT Chris Boni and MHEM Neal (The Polish Prince) Czpansiki. Chalk 823 PC CW4 Raymond (Tony) Centers, PI CW2 John Herrera, CE SPC Dustin “Hair Gel” Sullivan, MHEM John Farrell. Chalk 838 PC CW4 Bruce (Princess) Pulgencio, PI CW2 Matthew Bednar, CE SPC Matthew Gryzwa, MHEM Brad Idol. The firefighters who are normally firefighters and not CDF employees were CW4 Pulgencio (Costa Mesa FD), CW2 Mosley LA County FD, MHEM Brad Idol LA County FD, MHEM John Farrell Oakland FD. This is just one perspective on the incident on Brushy Mountain speaking for myself and my crew. The other crews did the same actions and possibly even more. At the time of this action we didn’t know all the details that occurred or all the other elements involved in this effort. I can’t elaborate in the first person about how our actions helped to save the lives of the fire fighters on the ground, how each Cal Guard helicopter assisted in suppressing the fire danger to the crew on ground nor how the teamwork between everyone resulted in saving lives. But it is clear that we were one part of a tremendous coordinated effort to reduce the danger and assist the firefighters in danger. |
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