Heading into the peak of wildfire season, the Department of Natural Resources just unveiled a new tool it plans to use to keep communities safe.
This year, Washington has already seen an unprecedented 900 fires that have burned 28,000 acres. “Last year, around this time, we were more in the 500 range,” said Hilary Franz, DNR Commissioner of Public Lands.
David Ritchie sees the damage firsthand. He’s the DNR’s chief helicopter pilot.
Ritchie said wildfires are getting worse, especially in western Washington.
Transmission lines and tall buildings make traditional 100-foot-long lines and Bambi buckets tough for helicopter crews to use in Puget Sound.
“Before we got the tank, our only option for fighting fires was the Bambi buckets, which kind of restricted us in the urban interface,” said Ritchie.
This year, the DNR invested in its first belly tank. It cost $160,000 to buy the equipment and add it to one of the state’s existing Vietnam-era helicopters.