Firefighting & Working on Fire

Firefighting

CLEAR CHANNEL operates its own 1821 Bambi Fire Bucket which holds 900 liters of water as well as a fire retardant dispenser which is located inside the helicopter. We provide an emergency response ex Kimberley Airport for all grass and bush fires in the Northern Cape area. Assistance is also offered to all Game Reserve land owners for firefighting emergencies that may occur, as well as creating safe passage for game during severe fires.

Working on Fire

Managing Pilot Warren N van der Weide actively assists the Working on Fire programe regularly flying sorties to combat bush fires around the country. As part of a multi-disciplinary team of pilots, ground crew and support staff, the Working on Fire programme provides vital firefighting support to ground teams in their efforts to extinguish out-of-control wild fires across South Africa.

The Bell UH-1 also know as the "Huey" was developed for the US military by the American company Bell Helicopter Textron for the Vietnam War. The "U" stands for "utility" which is exactly why WoF has invested in this machine. The helicopter is used as a troop (team) carrier and to drop teams of fire fighters close to the action. Working on Fire has fitted its Huey's with Bambi buckets capable of dropping 1000 liters of water on a fire. The Huey has been one of the most successful "rotorcraft" in history. Although the last Huey came off the production line in 1976 thousands of these helicopters are still in use around the world.