Oklahoma brings in aerial firefighters from Montana to help with potential wildfires

Firefighters who battled the California wildfires traveled to Oklahoma, along with firefighting planes staged in Burns Flat in preparation for the fire danger. 

Planes buy time for firefighters on the ground 

Oklahoma terrain can be tricky for crews to get to certain areas. The state brought in these resources to attack potential wildfires quickly and often. Interim Chief Executive Officer of (Montana-based company) Bridger Aerospace, Sam Davis, said his team fights fires year-round. 

“It’s not fire season anymore. It’s fire years,” Davis said. “Really happy to be there in Oklahoma and support the effort.” 

Bridger Aerospace travels the country fighting wildfires 

Bridger Aerospace works with the Oklahoma Forestry Services to actively drop water on fires at a moment’s notice. Davis said his unit has been busy this year. 

“We already had fires in Long Island — the Palisades as you’ve probably saw on the news,” Davis said. 

Above-average year for wildfires 

The National Interagency Fire Center shows more than 8,005 wildfires have burned across the United States this year — more than 2,000 above the 10-year average. 

“We have to have year-round preparedness baked into how we do things.” 

Efficiency of aerial firefighting 

Davis said each of Bridger Aerospace’s planes can fly for four hours on one tank of fuel, and they can drop hundreds of thousands of gallons of water per day. 

“Volume is very important,” Davis said. 

Wildfire mapping and navigation

Davis said the state worked with the federal government to bring another plane with sensors to map wildfires to help crews navigate on the ground. 

“A game changer for ground crews and for incident commanders that can see real-time video — thermal detection,” Davis said. 

Davis said their presence can feel concerning, but he said it means they're ready to protect communities. 

“We know that we can be efficient and do what we do well before unfortunate things happen, or before people’s lives or property are threatened,” Davis said. 

Davis said Canada uses planes to detect fires and fight them on the spot. With the increased frequency of wildfires, he said that approach may become a best practice in the U.S.