Hell-ish Season in Humboldt
By Ellen Komp, CLMP
8/17/06

The news that two firefighters were killed in a helicopter crash in Happy Camp comes as Humboldt County has seen two weeks of daily marijuana suppression helicopter activity (including weekends) with an extra $50,000 from DEA. Our Board of Supervisors heard reports on August 15 about how its Fire Suppression Master Plan was being de-funded by the federal government as dollars are lost to the military. Meanwhile, four large fires in the region are expected to burn uncontained for weeks to come.

Terry "Jake" Jacobs, 48, of Kern County and 38-year-old Andrei Pantchenko of Oregon were killed on August 4 when the Sikorsky CH-54A Skycrane helicopter they were flying to fight the Happy Camp Complex fires crashed. That fire has burned 3,800 acres and is only 50% contained.

According to an August 16 article by John Driscoll of The Times Standard (Eureka), part of the tail rotor on the fire-fighting helicopter fell off moments before it crashed into the Klamath River outside Happy Camp. A National Transportation Safety Board report says the crash was caused by the failure of a spindle connected to the tail rotor gearbox.

On the morning of the accident, the helicopter went through a series of maintenance tests after having an engine replaced the day before. The tail rotor hub was overhauled on Dec. 22, 2005. That included an X-ray like technique to inspect the spindle, a part that can be reused. The fractured spindle was sent to the safety board's materials laboratory in Washington, D.C.

The wrecked chopper was built in 1966, and had been rebuilt and redesigned for firefighting by Heavy Lift Helicopters of Apple Valley. It could carry up to 750 gallons of water.

According to CDF, 168,540 acres have burned so far this year in California, more than double the five-year average of 70,412 acres for the same time interval. Still burning are the Orleans ComplexÊfire in Humboldt's Six Rivers National Forest, which started on July 24, has 30% containment and has burned 11,400 acres; the Bar Complex fire in Shasta - Trinity National Forest, begun July 26, has 41% containment and has burned 15,235 acres; the Uncles ComplexÊfire in Klamath National Forest,Êwhich began on July 23, is 35% contained and has burned 10,616 acres. The Hunter FireÊin Mendocino National Forest is now 100% contained, it burned 16,296 acres. Also contained is the Kingsley Complex fire in Mendocino National Forest, which burned 6,854 acres of the Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness. Ê

Still burning in Southern California is the Heart-Millard ComplexÊfire in San Bernardino National Forest, begun July 14, which is 75% contained and has burned 23,917 acres. The Horse Fire, in San Diego's Cleveland National Forest, burned 16,681 acres and is now contained. The largest fire in the state so far this year was the Canyon Fire in StanislausÊcounty, which burned 34,217 acres.Ê See more at http://cdfdata.fire.ca.gov/incidents/incidents_current

The average annual budget of the CDF Aviation Management Program is nearly $20 million. CAMP's is closer to $2 million, with other support from counties; BNE's is approximately $50 million.