Firefighting Helicopter Equipment

There isn't a whole lot of variety of helicopter fire fighting equipment available, so learning all about the different instruments is fairly easy. There are a couple of different types of firefighting equipment. There is equipment for fire rescue, which is used to get into areas and air lift people out of fire areas, and there is what we will call fire extinguishing equipment.

Fire Extinguishing Equipment

Most people are more interested or concerned with fire extinguishing equipment. This equipment can be in the form of a tank that pours water over the fire, a sling that picks up water and dumps it, or a chemical expulsion device that sprays chemicals on the fire or for a confinement line. One of the most common forms is a bucket that is attached to the bottom of the helicopter because it is easy to attach and detach. This makes the helicopter readily available for use in other ways if need be. There are also slings that can be used to transport water, but these are not as effective because less of the water makes it to the site, and it is less precise in dropping the water. There are some helicopters that are made to fight fires and they have very precise water and retardant dropping, both for lines and in large quantity drops.

Fire Rescue Equipment

Fire rescue equipment is one of the most important things to have in any fire emergency. Either by ground or by air, getting people out of the fire should be a top priority in every case. As far as helicopters, the options are limited. You can either go with a ladder, a bucket for people to crawl into, a rope with hook or knot at the end of it, or a lifting seat. Lifting seats are boards that stretch between two ropes making a sort of swing style seat. The rescued person then sits on the seat as they get transported out of the fire. This is another common form of fire rescue.

Fire rescue and fire extinguishing equipment can be purchased online at Darley's website. This is one of the few places that sells firefighting equipment for helicopters online. There are probably a large number of companies that work from catalogs and brochures. If you want to find one of those, contact a company that owns a firefighting helicopter and find out where they got their equipment.