Russian offer to send water bombers to fight Fort McMurray fire in limbo

[NWCorona]

Source: CBC

The Trudeau government has yet to respond to an offer by Russia to dispatch massive water bombers and fire fighting specialists to battle the growing inferno around Fort McMurray, Alta.

The proposal was made late last week by Vladimir Puchkov, the Russian minister of emergency measures.

A spokesman for Russia's embassy in Ottawa, Kirill Kalinin, said Sunday that they continue to stand "ready to help our Canadian partners to fight the ongoing wildfires in Alberta."

The offer involves sending converted Ilyushin Il-76 transport planes — the kind occasionally leased by the Canadian military — that can dump as much as "42 tons of fire retardant into fire spots," according to a statement on the web site of Russia's Civil Defence, Emergencies and Elimination of Consequences of Natural Disasters.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/politics/russia-water-bombers-alberta-wildfires-1.3572825

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I don't see what the hold is besides the obvious.

[yourpaljoey]

1. Those Russians know a bit about fighting hella big fires!

[drm604]

2. Reading the article it sounds like it may be an issue of air space and congestion.

It may not be possible to safely have more flights over the area.

[NWCorona]

4. That very well be but the equipment being offered is far superior to some of the planes being used

at the moment. Like the Lockheed P2V.

[drm604]

9. And they may take that into account.

It appears that they're still trying to decide. They probably have to clear it with their version of the FAA or whatever and those things take time.

There may also be some agreements with the US involving foreign forces so they may have to consult with us also.

[laserhaas]

16. A Michigan Professor has barked about this for years

C W (Bill) Kaufman has been screaming about how the Russian planes are far superior and could save lives/ property

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

3. Here's a video of an Ilyushin II-76 making a retardant drop

Personally, I think the BE-200 would be more effective because it would have quicker turnaround times.

[NWCorona]

5. That BE-200 video was pretty cool!

[philosslayer]

12. What is that stuff?

Is it environmentally safe??

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

13. It's a mixture of water and fertilizer

link

It's a slurry that cools and smothers the fire while at the same time spreading fertilizer to help the vegetation regrow. The red dye is there to help the pilots have a reference for subsequent drops.

If you really want to see something impressive:

I saw this once in Southern California -- it's impressive. And how low they fly!

[polly7]

7. ...........

Canadian officials did tell Russian media that the proposal was being studied.

At least 27 air tankers and 15 helicopters are involved in fighting the wildfire that has driven over 88,000 people from their homes in the oil patch community.

Goodale was also not prepared Sunday to call out the army to join the over 600 firefighters from Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba and New Brunswick who have been part of the effort to contain the blaze, the origins of which remain a mystery.

Troops were deployed last year to help contain a massive woodland blaze in Saskatchewan, but Goodale said Sunday it was best to leave the current disaster to full-time firefighters.

“This is a beast of a fire and it needs the most professional fighters to contend with it,” he said.

The air force, meanwhile, deployed one of its new heavy-lift battlefield helicopters Sunday for the first time in support of the disaster relief operation. The CH-147F Chinook took two loads of food, medicine and emergency supplies to a First Nations community 50 kilometres outside of Fort McMurray.

It bolsters the existing four CH-146 Griffons and the one C-130J Hercules, which have been involved since midway through last week.

The Chinook, with its 10,886-kilogram load capacity, is an important addition for moving relief supplies quickly into remote area, said Maj. Gord Gushue, the deputy commander of the air task force supporting the operation.

He said the skies around the wildfire are already pretty congested and military pilots have had to take care.

“You can appreciate that the (civilian pilots) might be running a bucket ops where they scoop up water and move it around, going up and down quite a ways. So, they have to be very careful to make sure no one is flying underneath them — or overhead,” Gushue said in an interview from Edmonton.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/russian-offer-to-send-heavy-water-bombers-to-fort-mac-in-limbo/article29935985/

[NewImproved Deal]

8. Thank you, Russia. n/t

[truthisfreedom]

10. If it works logistically, what better way to further the goals of friendship?

[840high]

11. Let them help. Don't wait.

[raven mad]

14. I can state, unequivocally, that these are the BEST anti-wildfire aircraft anywhere.

Don't let politics prevent them; they've helped us up here before.

[Adrahil]

15. Not sure it's politics... More likely logistics.

I was involved in an air effort to fight fires some years ago, and the biggest issue,I think will be logistical and operational. There can be no issue with language. The pilots must be able to understand and respond in English with a high level of fluency. That's a major safety issue. The aircraft must be willing to subordinate the,selves to the fire scene commander. There has to be approapriate support facilities for the aircraft. The aircraft must be equipped to use the proper fire retardant ( if theybare not just pure water bombers). Lots of issues involved that lots of folks dont't ever consider.