The U.S. Forest Service is funding a new firefighting team based out of the Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport, bringing two SkyCrane helicopters to the region.
According to the U.S. Forest Service, the project is dubbed โOperation Sky Hammerโ and has placed two new SkyCrane helicopters at the base of the Rocky Mountains, pre-positioned to be close to where the fire danger is highest and ready to immediately fight wildfires.
The helicopters were described as โsurge capacityโ for initial attack responses to wildfires.
โThis innovative program is adding capacity to our wildland firefighting response in Colorado and throughout the Rocky Mountain Region,โ said Troy Heithecker, Regional Forester for the Rocky Mountain Region, in the announcement of the new firefighting team. โCoupled with the modernized airtanker base in Colorado Springs and our other airtanker bases across our region, we will be able to respond more quickly and efficiently when wildfires start.โ
The U.S. Forest Service said the two SkyCrane helicopters can be ordered by local, state or federal agencies to respond to wildfires. The helicopters have a mobile retardant base that lets the machinery be prepositioned in locations that wouldnโt otherwise be able to support equipment.
