Directing Retardant and Bucket Drops

After making the appropriate request for air resources you should be in contact with the pilot directly or through dispatch. Make certain of the correct frequency(ies) for ground-air communication. Consult your Incident Action Plan (IAP) Communication Plan page or dispatch.

Give the general location on the incident.

Finalize location with:

Clock Direction: Straight in front of the aircraft is 12 o'clock, out the right door is 3 o'clock, and the left door is 9 o'clock. When giving directions, remember that helicopters ands air attack generally orbits in a right-hand pattern and air tankers in a left-hand pattern.
Position on slope: lower 1/3, upper 1/3, midslope, top of the ridge, etc.
Aspect: Direction the slope is facing.
Describe prominent landmarks: Don't say, "I have a yellow shirt on" or "I'm by a large tree," etc. Think what the pilot sees from the air.
Use signal mirrors: Use smoke or fusee if a mirror is unavailable. Stand in drop location (when safe) for ID and move away before the drop.

Describe Target

from your location and explain the mission. The pilot will decide a drop technique and flight path.

Assure pilot

all personnel are safe and know aircraft intentions before the drop.

Give feedback

to the pilot about the drop accuracy. Be honest and constructive. Let pilot know if the drop is early, late, uphill, downhill, on target, too high, too low, etc. Report low drops immediately.

Florida Division of Forestry: Bucketdrops

Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services