Just to clarify military uses the term casualty for an injured person. Not meaning death. They should of cleared that up after the mammoth pools rescue. Media reported it and lot of people were think a lot of bodies were being flown out.
Plus I think this is old news.
OPBD is correct. This is new information and is current. Let’s not be hasty in assuming this is old information with regard to the air evacuation that occurred on Friday. This fire is moving quickly and is impacting a very large area.
Local ABC news is reporting it now…also a tweet by FFD PIO
https://mobile.twitter.com/FresnoFire
The fire is nowhere near lake Edison, if they are flying out campers it’s because the Road out is closed. Injuries are not likely as the fire has not progressed past Huntington lake
This is a second evacuation. Not the same as the Mammoth pools mission from the other night. It’s likely that access to Lake Edison and Florence Lake are cut off by this fire, and the best course of action is to get people out while you can and conditions are favorable for it.
Let’s not forget the media is never spot on and some on here have no back ground in fire or are aware of the current situation. There are certain things that happen on large scale incidents such as this one that happen very quickly due to life threat. If the egress Are routes being compromised then the information will be limited at this time and therefore not all the information is out or will be out until after the mission is complete
Blackhawks carry 11 loaded combat troops.
A Coast Guard HH-60J carried 27 fisherman in the cabin. That included swimmer, flight mechanic, pilot, co-pilot.
Maybe not a stretch when your motivated by fire nipping at you?
Updates from Fresno Fire Dept. https://mobile.twitter.com/FresnoFire/status/1303157988228644865
With middle seats out and rear folded up, definitely can do 20 on the floor knees folded in front. You’ll hit space limits before weight. Crew chief in the back will certainly get cozy though.
In a hot fire situation I can easily see the “no possessions” get to the chopper, but if there’s not a fire issue and only an egress issue I can’t imagine packing in 20 with purses and/or backpack. But I’m in my armchair and not in the situation.
Look at CHP rotor during the Atlas Fire, crammed a bit more in there than available seats, in middle of the night with fire at their ankles…
From a Fresno Area ABC Affiliate Reporter:
UPDATE: Fresno County Sheriff’s confirm 200 people are currently stuck in the Sierra National Forest across 4 different temporary refuge areas. The Creek Fire has left them stranded, but authorities say they are safe. Work is currently underway to get them out.
I know the owner of the Muir Ranch. They’re one of the four places.
No easy way getting out of those places. If you have ever driven over Kaiser Pass you get it.
Actually the Blackhawk can carry 14-17 seated passenger or 11 troops. Since the Blackhawks don’t have civilian passenger seats, and aren’t carrying troops, 20 civilian passengers is very possible , if rather uncomfortable. The F-Model Chinook is only rated for 33-55 troops, earlier versions were rated at 33 troops, but has carried more civilians in emergency evacs, including just a couple days ago. The thing to remember, troop carrying capacity is lower than civilian passenger capacity, since the troops include their weapons and gear, so they are heavier.
We can sit here and argue the capacity of different ships all night long the fact of the matter is the first mission at mammoth pools 805 lifted with 53 on board and that’s what he told ops that night. We fail to realize that the amount of fuel onboard also affects the capacity of the ship therefore they could have burned enough fuel on the way up that it allowed for the extra people that night
Agreed. The most important thing to keep in mind is flight weight, not just volumetric space. A Chinook can carry 50 people without gear, or 35 firefighters with gear
To tag onto that elevation also plays apart in what the allowable is for that ship as well and being that most of the distance to FYI was down and toward the valley it was a easy decision to allow the extra people.
Correct. They were able to bring up a group of people from Edison, Florence, Ward etc and because of the fire they stopped at China Peak last night. They were unable to go further due to command concerns that they wouldn’t be able to get down further due to fire activity. Aircraft NG were deployed but due to thick smoke, were unable to complete the mission. They sheltered at China Peak for the night with the remainder of the evacuees. So to be clear there was multiple trips to Mammoth Pools and multiple attempts at China Peak.
Surprised that LG and Cal Fire have any resources to offer up and with the feds loosing guys to the state I know there short too.
Exactly what I was talking about. Density Altitude dictates an aircraft’s capabilities. Just because they have the physical space to hold 15 souls, doesn’t mean they physically can carry that many souls with a full belly tank or Bambi bucket.
That being said, I sincerely hope everyone is safe and accounted for. We are all in this to help people and the environment. Stay safe out there!
From a retired medical corpsman: Yes, casualty includes wounded / injured. Who are these reports coming from, anyway?
Yes, a properly - configured UH-60 can carry max 20 people.