Barbara Hardt, Gilpin County. On Monday, September 2, 2019, just after 1 p.m., a smoke report was called into Gilpin dispatch. 

The fire was in a remote location and access was difficult for ground crews. However, fast response by multiple agencies allowed fire crews to assess the situation and determine a helicopter would be extremely useful. The helicopter was requested by a Forest Service battalion chief.

Mutual aid responding agencies included Nederland Fire, Central City Fire, USFS Fire (including crews from Nebraska), and Gilpin County Sheriff’s Office. Covering the Timberline district were Coal Creek Fire and Golden Gate Fire. The helicopter, flown by Matthew Halperin, made dozens of bucket drops. Each bucket holds 144 gallons of water, of which approximately 100 gallons makes it to the fire from the pickup point. The full bucket weighs 957 pounds, when pulled out of the lake.

Three additional Firehawk crew members participated in the helicopter work, including a truck and trailer arriving to refuel the copter. Close proximity to Snowline Lake allowed fast turnarounds. 

Firehawk home base is Rocky Mountain Metro Airport, located in Broomfield. 

Brainerd Helicopters, Inc. was founded in 1973 by Chuck Brainerd. Chuck was an Army trained Aviator and a Veteran of the Vietnam War. 

Currently, Firehawk operates a mixed fleet of 9 Sikorsky S-70 and UH-60 Black Hawks, and 5 Airbus H125 in support of Wildland Fire Fighting and other commercial endeavors.

(Originally published in the September 5, 2019, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)