HELENA - A federal aviation safety team is expected in Montana this weekend, with an eye to resolving a policy difference that has prevented five state-owned helicopters from fighting fires on federal land.
State officials say there have been incidents this season in which Montana firefighters were prohibited from fighting fires, a situation state leaders say makes no sense.
Montana fire officials say the choppers in question, five Vietnam-era former Army Hueys, rebuilt and reinforced for firefighting by the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, are perfectly safe.
"This is not a safety issue," State Forester Bob Harrington said Wednesday. "We firmly stand behind the safety and the record of our aviation program. This is a question of policy difference."
The issue goes beyond some simple paperwork to complex and extensive protocols for operations and safety for people both in the chopper and on the ground.
"There's a lot of work behind the scenes for us to all agree on each other’s standards and policies and we tend to work those agreement out with a lot of work in the off season. And occasionally there are places where our policies don't line up and we try to work through these differences," Harrington said. "This is an example where we have not been able to work these out."
One issue is the 324-gallon water buckets are larger than those envisioned in the federal protocols.
Thursday, Gov. Steve Bullock and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack suggested there's progress in the 18-month disagreement, saying the USDA and Bullock "have had several productive conversations aimed at finding a path forward that addresses our mutual goals of ensuring safe, effective and timely utilization of helicopters."
"I think we all agree that it's in the Montana residents' best interest to know that if a fire erupts and our aircraft are the closest and most appropriate to respond, it shouldn't matter where that fire occurs,” Harrington said.
The experts coming to Montana will meet "to develop a plan for operating the state's helicopters as part of coordinated state and federal firefighting operations."
The statement noted that several other aircraft have come to Montana in recent weeks to assist with the fires.
"The professionalism of our firefighting team, made up of state, local and federal staff, tribes, and volunteers, is especially appreciated during this exceptionally intense fire season," they said in the joint statement. "The safety of these brave men and women and the residents and communities they protect, is our utmost concern."
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