Helitech team sets up camp at county airport to fight Idaho fires

Members of the Missoula National Helitech team camped out at the Mineral County Airport last week while they ran helicopter runs to assist fighting several wildfires in Idaho. 

Throughout the week a Bell 210 medium-sized helicopter, capable of carrying a maximum of 350 gallons, was sent over the border every day to conduct water drops as well as drop off Forest Service Firefighters to both the Cold Springs and Little Steep Fire. 

“It’s (the Mineral County Airport) the most convenient place to stage out of,” Pilot Joe DeRienzo said. 

DeRienzo added that the helicopter crew tries to get water as close to the fire as possible and they use ponds, streams or any other water source available. 

“We work with smokejumpers or forest service crews,” DeRienzo, who pilots the helicopter for 12 days and then takes two off before starting his next shift, said. “They tell you where they need the water.” 

Once firefighters on the ground tell DeRienzo where they need the water dropped he uses a trigger to either conduct a trail drop or to dump all of the water in one location. 

On Thursday, the fourth day of their stay in Superior, the crew was officially cut and began to pack their gear and prepare to leave. 

“They are starting to drop staffing levels on the fires,” DeRienzo said. “They are mostly contained.” 

Josh Woodard, a Helicopter Manager Trainee and Superior native, said that generally the crew camps with the helicopter and fuel truck as an added security measure – especially when the Bell 210 is parked at an airport without fencing. 

Woodard, who began his training in 2006, started off by taking a class prior to joining up with the crew. 

“It’s really fun as long as you aren’t afraid of heights,” Woodard said. “You really get a bird’s-eye view.”