Two amphibious scooper “Fire Boss” single-engine air tankers (SEATs) contracted with Dauntless Air have been used for initial attack and extended attack on fires around the state. They continued proving their value in early March as the state faced drought conditions with days of very low humidities, strong winds and elevated wildfire ignitions.
This marks the first time the Forestry Commission has had contracted aerial suppression aircraft since the larger, Hugo-funded CL-215 tankers in 1994. The Dauntless planes came on mid-February and departed May 14, but the agency has the flexibility to bring them on at other times. The planes were based at Owens Field in Columbia.
The Fire Bosses can stay airborne for three hours at a time and scoop up to 800 gallons of water from lakes and rivers close to a fire. They can drop water or a combination of water and fire retardant gel, depending on fuel types and ground conditions. Each crew consists of a pilot, mechanic and chief provided by Dauntless to accompany each plane.
Fire Bosses 407 and 414 made 475 drops on fires around the state; dropping a total of 307,450 gallons of water and 226 gallons of retardant on wildfires with the majority of those not being the Table Rock Complex or Covington Drive fires.
Primary pilots Don MacDonald and Mike Dornan spent 204+ hours of flight time on wildfires. On the very busy fire day of March 1, the planes were called to help suppress the Prince George Fire in Georgetown County.
“The planes were very helpful in cooling off the flames on the marsh when they were racing towards the homes,” said Incident Commander and Black River Assistant Unit Forester Tonya Smith.
The Fire Bosses accessed water in Winyah Bay and North Inlet which allowed a quick turn around time.
The Forestry Commission has a 5-year, $3.1 million contract with Dauntless Air to provide two planes and crew from February to May, so look forward to their assistance in our suppression efforts again next year.