Managing aerial firefighting activities on airports

This synthesis study is intended to provide a review of current airport and agency [primarily the U.S. Forest Service (USFS)] practices, policies, and procedures at airports called upon to support aerial wildland firefighting suppression efforts. Information used in this study was acquired through a review of the literature and interviews with ten airport operators (representing 13 airports), two commercial helicopter operators, and one regional fire center manager to gather insights on the current state of airport practices that support aerial wildland firefighting suppression efforts. The interviews followed a series of questions in areas such as community and economic matters, contracts, operations, and general business practices. While the interviews were structured, the interviewees were encouraged to freely discuss matters related to the topic of the study and to offer information on the subject that they believed was important--