On June 9, 2020, ground-based training of airborne fire groups of the Almaty and Taldykorgan aviation departments took place

On June 9, 2020, practical training of paratrooper firefighters took place on the territory of the Almaty Aviation Department. The personnel of the Almaty and Taldykorgan Aviation Departments underwent ground training on the basis of a special simulator tower, with the aim of thorough and comprehensive training on the ground, working out all the elements of the descent, studying various techniques and training in their implementation.

The practical skills of the "forest special forces” were developed by experienced mentors - deputy director, head of the fire service, heads of the aviation department and observer pilots.

It should be noted that it is not always possible to get to the area of ​​the current forest fire by land transport, and when delivering forces and equipment by air, it is not possible to select a site for safe landing.

In such cases, a decision is made to land in the area of ​​the fire using a helicopter. A pilot observer from the air selects a site suitable for descent of paratrooper-firefighters, at least 5x5 meters in size between the crowns of the trees.

The helicopter hovering over this "well” at a height of at least 10 meters above the tops of trees (while the height to the ground should not exceed 45 meters). The observing pilot opens the door and drops a particularly durable (900 kg gap) 50-meter cord, through which, with the help of a trigger roller device, airborne firefighters descend directly from the helicopter to the ground.

During the training, the interaction of the observer pilot and paratrooper-firefighters, the descent speed (average - three meters per second), the correct landing and much more are monitored.

It is worth noting that such training descents are held annually - at the beginning and middle of the fire hazard season. It is extremely important to recall the methodology for descending from a helicopter after a winter break and to consolidate the acquired skills, because this is one of the fundamentals of the safety of forest aviation operations.