WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports-Tanker Plane Shows Wildfire Fighting Ability

Tanker Plane Shows Wildfire Fighting Ability

Plattsburgh, New York -- September 17, 2009

Wildfires in the Northeast are not generally as large as the ones that have devastated California and parts of the West. But just in case such a fire gets out of control, regional firefighters now have a reliable tool at their disposal if they need it.

You don't see many aircraft like the one that landed at the Plattsburgh airport on Thursday. It's a Canadair CL-415, designed to fight big forest fires. It came from Quebec City to show exactly what its capability is.  Col. Andy Jacob, deputy director of the New York Forest Rangers, explained how the plane can be dispatched anywhere in the region upon request.

"The purpose of today is to understand what resource is available for us in New York and throughout the rest of our compact states, and to understand that the use of this resource comes with considerable expense," he said.

It is expensive to operate -- about $5000 an hour. New York forest rangers met with members of a sixty-year old regional firefighting pact known as the Northeast Forest Fire Protection Commission. They took a close look at the aircraft, including where the large water tanks are housed.

They also watched the plane in action at DECF's nearby Wickham Wildlife Management Area.

It holds 1600 gallons of water, which can be dumped at the pilot's discretion on a forest fire. To replenish the tanks, the plane zoomed right along the surface of lake Champlain to pick up another load. Pilot Carl Villeneuve said the motion propels the water straight into the tanks without the need for pumping.

The regional fire compact encompasses a wide area. New York, all of New England, as well as Quebec and the Atlantic provinces.

Sen. Betty Little said, "You never know when you're gong to need something like this. And this is basically, this compact is a mutual aid for forest fires."

Officials with the fire protection compact say it's only a matter of time before this kind of response will be needed somewhere in the region. And now, it's available on a permanent basis.

Andy Potter -- WCAX News