Canadian fire specialist Coulson Aviation has had a hectic time of it in recent months, and reports that on average its firefighting hours have doubled over the past five years. It currently flies two C-130 Hercules 4,000 USG air tankers, two Boeing B737 4,000 USG air tankers, five Boeing CH 47 Chinook 3,000 USG tanked and bucket helicopters, three Sikorsky S-61 1,000 USG helicopters, one Sikorsky S-76 intel helicopter, four Citation jets and a pair of Bell 412s.

“Our LA basin fleet of two CH47s, one S61 and one S-76, the quick response force that provides protection in Ventura, LA and Orange County in southern California, was dispatched to the Caldor fire in northern California by South Lake Tahoe,” reveals owner Wayne Coulson. “We are the only commercial fleet worldwide that operates 24 hours a day and flew, for the first time in history, retardant at night on US federal land. Our wonderful employees are continuing to sacrifice their time off to help with quarantines prior to the start of their shift in other countries we work in. Our focus is to stay safe and focus on killing fire, every chance we get.”