Fire Suppression
Mil-8 Fire Suppression in Jambi, Indonesia.
The Mission brief was to provide Aerial Fire Fighting Support over the Jambi Province, Indonesia. The contract was initially for a one year period, followed by a one year roll over. The HEVILIFT team has been in Jambi for a total of twenty months and counting. The operational base is situated in ‘Sei Tapa’ which is 95km’s NW of Jambi City.
Cockpit view from Mil-8 over Jambi Province
HEVILIFT’s own Mil-8 MTV has been utilised for this project. This heavy multi-purpose utility helicopter has become HEVILIFT’s most reliable machine for fire suppression. The seemingly endless configuration available on the Mil-8 has allowed the team to tailor a specific load out for this requirement.
Mil-8 used in the fire suppression operation over Jambi.
Eleven of HEVILIFT’s own crew have been utilised for this operation. The team ranges from pilots to engineers who all live on the remote base.
Fighting fires is no easy task, keeping them under control within entire forests is as tough as it gets. However, the HEVILIFT team has managed to suppress all fires they have faced. Due to the sporadic nature of fires, there are sometimes periods of inactivity. This can be detremental as operators can be caught off guard when asked to intervene. The Jambi team combats this through regular planning, cross checking and training, so when it comes, they are always ready for the call.
At work suppressing forest fires.