Sierra National Forest CWN (call when needed) helitack truck. This is a smaller helitack truck used to support a call when needed helicopter or as a reserve to one of the larger trucks used by the exclusive use crews. It is attached to the Sierra Helitack crew.
The USFS has two type of helicopter contract, exclusive use which provides for a set period of time that the helicopter will be dedicated to use by the USFS (generally the whole 4-6 month fire season). These contact helicopters are almost always used by a regular 7-14 person helitack crew. The other type of contract is known as call when needed, this is a contract prepared before the fire season, but it only puts the helicopter to work when there is a need (usually backfilling behind an exclusive use ship, or due to a going fire that requires additional helicopters). When not needed the company is free to use the helicopter for what ever other work they do. The daily rate is considerably higher on call when needed contracts since there is no guarantee of work.
Call when needed helicopters are staffed with some of the members of an exclusive use module (one reason for the large crew size), and / or other qualified USFS employees. Most of the large Type 1 helicopters like the Skycranes are under call when needed contracts, although a handful are under exclusive use contracts (the Mariposa HT truck posted earlier is assigned to a type 1 helicopter module).
Photo by Aaron Woods
The USFS has two type of helicopter contract, exclusive use which provides for a set period of time that the helicopter will be dedicated to use by the USFS (generally the whole 4-6 month fire season). These contact helicopters are almost always used by a regular 7-14 person helitack crew. The other type of contract is known as call when needed, this is a contract prepared before the fire season, but it only puts the helicopter to work when there is a need (usually backfilling behind an exclusive use ship, or due to a going fire that requires additional helicopters). When not needed the company is free to use the helicopter for what ever other work they do. The daily rate is considerably higher on call when needed contracts since there is no guarantee of work.
Call when needed helicopters are staffed with some of the members of an exclusive use module (one reason for the large crew size), and / or other qualified USFS employees. Most of the large Type 1 helicopters like the Skycranes are under call when needed contracts, although a handful are under exclusive use contracts (the Mariposa HT truck posted earlier is assigned to a type 1 helicopter module).
Photo by Aaron Woods
Aaron Woods
Facebook
Google
Reddit
Twitter