Fire Fighting exercise at unknown site – Deeside? Circa 1993
The image is from a photograph collection that was originally stored at Kincardine Forest District.
This image and those in the attached PDF show a large well organised moorland and forest fire fighting drill. The main participants in the images are Fire Service personnel but certainly Forestry Commission and private estate staff also took part in these exercises which lasted a good part of day. Relays of teams were shipped in and given a description of the exercise and a helicopter safety talk particularly when carrying fire fighting brooms and knapsack sprayers into the machine. Teams of four or five people boarded the helicopter which had its doors removed and flown to a suitable nearby point and offloaded. Teams dropped off earlier then re-embarked again and returned to the starting point. And so the shuttle service continued until perhaps 100-150 personnel had some experience of boarding and flying in helicopters.
The PDF shows the boarding team crouched down taking in turns to board the PDG aircraft which is an Aerospatiale AS350B Ecureuil with registration G-PLMC. Note the fire brooms held securely flat to the ground before being slid onto the floor of the aircraft between the two rear door openings.
Can anyone confirm the exercise location and whether this is the Grampian Fire Service personnel and equipment? See the PDF image link below.
Download Large Version (492kB)
Groups: Aircraft in Forestry Work, Forestry Areas, Groups of people, Northeast Scotland