Aero Tech airtanker pilot JT Capers talks to media while standing near the air tanker at the Casper/Natrona County International Airport on Thursday. (Dan Cepeda, Oil City News)

CASPER, Wyo. — A wet spring followed by hot, windy conditions have primed the pump for what could be a long and difficult fire season in central Wyoming.

Fire restrictions will go into effect in Natrona County and nine other counties in the region on Friday, according to authorities.

To assist in that challenge, the Wyoming State Forestry Division has teamed up with the Wyoming Bureau of Land Management and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to provide the state with a contract to keep two single-engine airtankers on site at the Casper/Natrona County International Airport, along with the materials, staff and support equipment needed to run the operation.

During a media day gathering at the airport on Thursday, several people from the agencies and contractors were on hand to describe the operation, which had just flown seven hours fighting a wildfire near Casper on Wednesday.

The two planes arrived on June 20 and will stay through September, according to Wyoming State Forestry Division PIO Kim Hemenway.

“We were short on staffing, and that’s where the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources stepped in, as well as the Wyoming BLM, [who] provide all of the fire retardants. None of the agencies could do that alone.”

Wyoming State Forestry Division Assistant Fire Manager Chris Fallbeck said this is the third season the two planes have been stationed at Casper’s airport, allowing them to quickly reach much of the state from the centralized location in a matter of minutes.

“The benefit of the program to the state of Wyoming is that we provide rapid initial attack to fires regardless of the jurisdiction or who owns that land underneath,” he said. “Our goal is to put the fire out before it becomes more costly.” The agencies also have a helicopter stationed in Glenrock that can deliver water and firefighters to remote areas, he said. The agencies contracted New Mexico–based Aero Tech for the use of their planes and pilots, along with numerous other support crew.

The planes are intended to knock down what Fallbeck describes as “light and flashy fuels,” which allows firefighters to move in and attack the fire on the ground.

“They are very effective on larger fires as well to help secure flanks and check the spread of fire,” he said.

The planes responded to 55 fires during their first year, some 45 last year, and nine so far this season, including Wednesday’s fire.

Craig Short, fire management officer for the BLM High Plains District, says pinning down what a fire season looks like is still difficult due to the increasing frequency of wildfires.

“In the fire community, we’re starting to talk more about ‘fire years,'” he said.

Short describes this time of year as the ramp up to fire season here in central Wyoming. “We haven’t gotten super busy super early, but we are starting to see larger fires.”

A wet spring brought tall grass, which is quickly drying up as the temperatures rise. “I feel like we’re gonna start getting busy pretty quick,” he said.

Aero Tech airtanker pilot JT Capers has been stationed in Casper over the past three seasons. He learned the trade as a crop duster, and runs a gunsmithing company in central Missouri between fire seasons.

The planes hold 800 gallons of fire retardant and 380 gallons of fuel, a surprising load given the plane’s compact size.

It takes about 40 minutes from the time of dispatch to reach almost any corner of the state, he said.

Instantly losing 800 gallons of retardant during a drop takes a certain amount of skill and experience. “If you don’t know what you’re doing, it’s a ride,” he said.

“The amount of weight we put in the front weighs more than the plane sitting there static,” he said.

During a drop, a pilot stabilizes the plane at about 120 mph, and has to start aiming the plane down as the weight of the load vanishes. “You learn how to hold the airplane at the altitude you’re supposed to be at while dropping stuff like that,” he said.

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