Incident Media Photographs

Helicopter with a bucket underneath continues dropping water on the Moss Mountain Fire - September 1, 2024

This is an excellent example of the steep terrain firefighters are facing on the Moss Mountain Fire. This demonstrates the challenging conditions in which fire crews work.

Steep terrain makes extinguishing spots challenging on the Moss Mountain Fire.

This Sikorsky Blackhawk UH60 helicopter is assigned to the Willamette Complex South. It has a lift capacity of over 8,000 pounds and can carry approximately 800 gallons of water in a Bambi bucket.

Engines get water from portable folding tanks when a water source such as a lake or river is not readily accessible to their work area. Water tenders refill the tanks regularly, to keep them full. These portable tanks can also be set up with pumps to supply water to hoselays near the fire area.

Fire Behavior Analyst Aleks Maric is one of our Australian partners on the Willamette Complex Fire. He is preparing for a reconnaissance flight over the fire area to collect information on the fire's activity. The data is returned to the fire managers to help them plan operational activities.

In this drill, fire crews practice extricating an injured firefighter from the fire line to definitive care. During this simulation, crew members package the injured firefighter onto a Sked stretcher. Practice is the best way to be prepared in case of an actual injury. 

In this drill, once the simulated injured firefighter is securely packaged in the Sked stretcher, many other crew members are needed to navigate over rugged terrain to a waiting ambulance safely. Practice makes perfect and saves lives.

Large area of the forest remains unchanged - Chalk Fire

Type 1 helicopter: Blackhawk UH60.

Example of steep terrain firefighters face on the Moss Mountain Fire

Type 1 helicopter: Blackhawk UH60 - Alpha.