If a lake you live on is being used as a water source to fight a forest fire, here are some things you should know about what is happening.
Shayne McCool, a fire information officer with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry says there are a couple of things that will happen if your lake is going to be used for fire suppression operations.
First, a small aircraft will approach the lake in question.
“If there are boaters on the water it will do low fly-by,” said McCool. “This lets boaters know there are aircraft in the area.”
If a boater does not move to the edge of the lake, the scout aircraft has an option.
“(Boaters) will be able to see the yellow water bombers and that will be a prompt for them to move to the shoreline,” explains McCool.
And it is not a one and done operation when it comes to firefighting operations.
“Do stay to the side because those bombers could be coming back multiple times as they attack the fire,” he says.
Ontario typically uses the Super Scooper CL415. It can hold 6,000 litres and uses a four-door bombing system. It needs just 12 seconds of scooping time on the lake, but that can equal around 2,000 metres in that time span.
McCool also stresses that people should not be anywhere near an active forest fire. People on the ground getting hit by a load of water from a bomber is potentially fatal.
“We do have scout aircraft in the area to ensure there are no safety concerns,” he explains. “If we spot anyone, we won’t perform our drop.”