Support requested for Black Hawk helicopter

Support for a Black Hawk helicopter is being requested for Roaring Fork Valley’s wildfire mitigation efforts.

Aspen resident Larry Mehren addressed the Aspen City Council during public comment at Tuesday’s regular meeting about asking for support in housing the helicopter at the Aspen/Pitkin County Airport.

Aspen Fire Protection District Deputy Chief of Operations Jake Andersen joined to help Mehren with some of the details to give city council a better understanding halfway through his public comment.

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The Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control — which purchased a $60 million aircraft referred to as a Firehawk — originally planned to station it in Montrose, but that arrangement fell through. 

“The state-run group (DFPC) that works on fire protection initiatives let us know that the helicopter they purchased, which is called a Firehawk, that was bound to be housed at Montrose, was no longer going to go there,” Mehren said. “I guess the city and the area around Montrose was unwilling to house the helicopter.”

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Mehren explained that the DFPC is now enlisting the AFPD, Pitkin County, the city of Aspen, and local businesses, including SkiCo, to help relocate the aircraft, pilots, and crew. 

“This helicopter would increase our fire prevention and control capabilities exponentially,” he said. “This is a terrific piece of machinery and something we could never afford on our own.” 

He added that the helicopter requires a hangar and that the DFPC is also looking for housing for pilots and support staff. 

“What I am asking for is a letter of support from the city of Aspen; no commitment, just saying that this is a terrific idea, along with any idea for housing would be great,” Mehren said.

The helicopter has a large belly tank that can hold 1,000 gallons of water, which it can intake in 45 seconds using its turbine engine. According to Mehren, it can also be used to transport firefighters and assist with search and rescue. 

Andersen said the DFPC’s deadline for approval from Aspen partners is March 12. 

“To be clear, we are not purchasing the helicopter. We are putting together a proposal on why they should move it here,” he said. “This is a complete DFPC program. It’s a prepackaged, incredible asset that we should really fight to try and bring to Aspen and support.”

Andersen noted that discussions with community stakeholders have been positive, though no final decisions have been made. 

“We are trying to bring a good group of folks onboard to see if we can make something really beneficial for the community happen,” he said. “It’s super early to know where the helicopter will be housed.”

Andersen said the first step is to build a proposal and submit it to the DFPC.

Andersen also emphasized that the proposed Blackhawk station would not interfere with another project already underway, known as the Single Engine Air Tanker (SEAT) program. 

SEAT refill program is an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) hoping to involve the Aspen/Pitkin County Airport, the city of Aspen Water, and the AFPD. 

“We are working to generate a temporary capacity to be able to refill these single-engine tankers at the airport in case of a wildfire emergency,” he said. 

During slower fire seasons, firefighting planes might have to travel from the Front Range to refill, costing valuable time. 

“The SEAT program would allow those tankers to refill in the valley, saving hours off a round trip, where minutes during a wildfire matter,” he said.

Although the City of Aspen approved the SEAT program during its consent agenda at Tuesday’s meeting, Andersen said they are still waiting for county and fire district approval. 

“The county had a reading of the IGA during their work session early today, so they could not approve anything, but there seemed to be overwhelming support,” he said. “We want the SEAT program to be up and running by summer.” 

The plan is for the airport’s firefighting units to marshal the tankers and supply water, with Aspen Fire providing equipment and coordination alongside the DFPC (which owns the planes) and the city of Aspen’s water providing the water and allowing the use of their hydrants.

“Hopefully, we never need to use this,” Andersen said. “I hope the community sees that we are trying to be creative and thoughtful, and we are trying different stuff, but in a very deliberate and intelligent way.”