Well Control

[Bruno Ogorelec]

As usual, the Croats have displayed excellent taste in water-bombers.

Well, yes, we do need them. A very, very long coastline, searing heat in the summer, little water up there in the coastal mountains, most of the forest inaccessible... a perfect recipe for forest fire that only a water bomber can put out.

We operate a fleet of 215s and 415s. However, my dear afficionados of water bombing, do we have a sweet morsel for you -- the sexiest water bomber in history. We have just purchased two. Take a look.

[Bruno Ogorelec]

Yes, guys, Beriev Be-200 is jet-powered. Until the fantastic plan to convert old A-10 Warthogs into water bombers is implemented (if it ever is) our Russian machine here is the only jet water bomber around.

It is big (takes in twice the amount of water of the Canadair) it is reliable, well-proven and tested and -- best of all -- costs us almost nothing. Namely, Russia owes Croatia a lot of money in some never repaid Soviet-era trade debts -- very expensive to repay now -- and someone has come up with the idea of repaying those debts in kind. Someone smart has put the water bombers on the list.

I've always admired Beriev aircraft. It is one of my all-time favorite companies. Be-200 has been one of my favorite designs. I find it difficult to believe we have actually purchased two.

[Rescyou]

We are just finishing a couple more acquasitions at the moment and will be changing our name probably some time in August.

For most of the time the work is "standby", usually when service companies are pumping acid or extremely flammable products into the well. Basically you sit there with hose in hand watching everyone work whilst getting paid. The going rate for that stuff is $250-$275/Day + $45 living allowance +$ for expenses + $ travel. When something blows up pay rates get higher pretty much instantly. We are now based in stations all throughout Alberta and have expanded into Northern BC domestically. There are a few stations that keep "the big iron" on hand to contend with the ugly blowouts and partner with a company that is ready to roll internationally 24/7.

Medic work is just like the fire end of things, you sit in an industrial ambulance watching people work. In Alberta if you are farther than 40 minutes drive time from a hospital you have to have an ambulance/medical transport on location so we have a few hundred ambulances for this kinda work.

As we just went through this massive merger our training and requirement policy is being re-written at the moment so I'll let you guys know the exact qualification we are looking for, but I can tell you right now that we are in desperate need of fire/medical/safety people. The work is mainly boring but when shat hits the fan you are in a living hell.

If you want, Principal Skinner, please have your contact email me at rescyou@rescyou.com if they are potentially interested.

Here are a few more pics, some of these are ours some from other people:

This is one of the "cleaner" welhead attacks, uncontaminated crude oil is much uglier:
http://www.rescyou.com/wellgoop.jpg

I believe this is the Vangaurd underwater blowout:
http://www.rescyou.com/wvblowout.jpg

Blowout on a Terr service rig:
http://www.rescyou.com/ter8.jpg

I don't recall where this one was:
http://www.rescyou.com/sep20022.jpg

Somewhere in Western Canada:
http://www.rescyou.com/fire545.jpg

I believe this was in the Gulf during in hurricane season:
http://www.rescyou.com/h-lili.jpg

This is a great pic of a water bomber in California I do believe:
http://www.rescyou.com/firebomber.jpg

I had the misfortune of being wacked by a water bomber in my earlier years. I was working in BC at the time and had a couple days off after working for about 4 months straight, so my friend and I went to the pub for a beer or 10 and got drafted into firefighting when they came in and annexed everyone for the fire work. They threw us on a helicopter and heliported us out into the middle of nowhere. We were all still drunk when went to work and awol'd with most of the other bar patrons and had a nice little nap about 1km away from where we were supposed to be. A Cessna flew over us with this air raid horn kinda sound playing and we thought it was the officials who had found us and were nailing us for being lazy bastards so we hid. Needless to say the warning was in fact the "get the hell out of the area" warning and we caught the ass-end of the water bomber strike and then ran like hell because the fire was topping the trees right for us. Defininetly hell, drunk hell.. then wet, tired hungover hell. I prefere stucture or well fires anyday.


S.

[Rescyou]

Myself I like the 415's, there a tad small but have excellent maneuverability. The one that nailed me was a MARS, those things are freaken huge, I use to live about 50km from their homebase. I once saw an Ruskie IL-76, now that's a big-ass water bomber, it's the biggest water bomber to come out so far, but I don't think it has scoop capability and has to land to reload after every drop.. but it carries 4 times more water then any other aircraft so the water to fire based on time ratio levels it out with everything else. I think what I've seen most are the skycrane/aircrane helicopters doing the dirty work, their pretty massive and butt ugly, but effective for their purpose.

http://www.erickson-aircrane.com

That Beriev looks very interesting but I've heard that jet's often have ongoing maintenance problems due to all the smoke/crap/soot that they suck in whilst performing their duties, it will be interesting to see how they make out. I think all the aircrane helicopters are turbine powered so maybe there is a way around all the maitenance B.S.

I'm suprised the Yankers haven't built something effective as other countries, I think down South there, Y'all lose more $$$ in forrest fires then any other country.

s.

[Anthony]

We are just finishing a couple more acquasitions at the moment and will be changing our name probably some time in August.

For most of the time the work is "standby", usually when service companies are pumping acid or extremely flammable products into the well. Basically you sit there with hose in hand watching everyone work whilst getting paid. The going rate for that stuff is $250-$275/Day + $45 living allowance +$ for expenses + $ travel. When something blows up pay rates get higher pretty much instantly. We are now based in stations all throughout Alberta and have expanded into Northern BC domestically. There are a few stations that keep "the big iron" on hand to contend with the ugly blowouts and partner with a company that is ready to roll internationally 24/7.

Medic work is just like the fire end of things, you sit in an industrial ambulance watching people work. In Alberta if you are farther than 40 minutes drive time from a hospital you have to have an ambulance/medical transport on location so we have a few hundred ambulances for this kinda work.

As we just went through this massive merger our training and requirement policy is being re-written at the moment so I'll let you guys know the exact qualification we are looking for, but I can tell you right now that we are in desperate need of fire/medical/safety people. The work is mainly boring but when shat hits the fan you are in a living hell.

If you want, Principal Skinner, please have your contact email me at rescyou@rescyou.com if they are potentially interested.

Here are a few more pics, some of these are ours some from other people:

This is one of the "cleaner" welhead attacks, uncontaminated crude oil is much uglier:
http://www.rescyou.com/wellgoop.jpg

I believe this is the Vangaurd underwater blowout:
http://www.rescyou.com/wvblowout.jpg

Blowout on a Terr service rig:
http://www.rescyou.com/ter8.jpg

I don't recall where this one was:
http://www.rescyou.com/sep20022.jpg

Somewhere in Western Canada:
http://www.rescyou.com/fire545.jpg

I believe this was in the Gulf during in hurricane season:
http://www.rescyou.com/h-lili.jpg

This is a great pic of a water bomber in California I do believe:
http://www.rescyou.com/firebomber.jpg

I had the misfortune of being wacked by a water bomber in my earlier years. I was working in BC at the time and had a couple days off after working for about 4 months straight, so my friend and I went to the pub for a beer or 10 and got drafted into firefighting when they came in and annexed everyone for the fire work. They threw us on a helicopter and heliported us out into the middle of nowhere. We were all still drunk when went to work and awol'd with most of the other bar patrons and had a nice little nap about 1km away from where we were supposed to be. A Cessna flew over us with this air raid horn kinda sound playing and we thought it was the officials who had found us and were nailing us for being lazy bastards so we hid. Needless to say the warning was in fact the "get the hell out of the area" warning and we caught the ass-end of the water bomber strike and then ran like hell because the fire was topping the trees right for us. Defininetly hell, drunk hell.. then wet, tired hungover hell. I prefere stucture or well fires anyday.


S.

The last pic is Aero Union's "Tanker 16". Damn, I read too much aviation mags lol. I also read all the fleet of privately-operated US water bombers might be grounded, therefore including this aircraft.

[Viv]

That last picture is completly mad in the head!

I so want to be able to do that! merd

Viv:-)

[steve]

That Beriev looks very interesting but I've heard that jet's often have ongoing maintenance problems due to all the smoke/crap/soot that they suck in whilst performing their duties, it will be interesting to see how they make out. I think all the aircrane helicopters are turbine powered so maybe there is a way around all the maitenance B.S.

Unfortunately not, A helicopter like the skycrane (based on the sikorsky ch-53) requires anywhere from 20-40 hours of maintence per flight hour under normal conditions. Less maintinence is tipically required for conventional aircraft but it would still be pretty extensive for both aircraft because turbines don't like to ingest forign objects/particles.

[Bruno Ogorelec]

I have no idea about teh Beriev engien maintenance schedule, but I do know they have been using it to fight Russian Taiga forest fires for a long time now -- it is not a new design. I like its amphibious capability -- like the canadair, you can land it on airstrip and on water, whichever way you like it.

As for Canadairs, for me the 215 is more romantic, but it's much harder work to fly and the upkeep is very expensive. Those radials gulp expensive fuel like crazy. The turboprop 415 is piece of cake to fly in comparison (all the mod cons) and much cheaper to fuel and maintain.

[Mike Kirney]

I doubt many people are still flying with the R-2800s. The 415 came out in '89 and they have a retrofit program as well for all the older 215s out there. I wonder how high the Ekranoplane can fly? It's an obvious candidate for surface-skimming style water collection.

[paul skinner]

Thanks for the address Rescyou. My cousin-in-law just got out of the Canadian Armed Forces after 15 years, where he was a fire fighter. I'll pass the information on to him and let him contact you.

Skinner..