MOAB FIRE DISTRICT

Moab BLM's fire district, located in southeast Utah, is comprised of 6.1 million acres of rugged terrain with deep canyon country, steep cliffs, and rivers as well as high elevations and varying fuels.  A large portion of this area is only accessible by air or on foot.  In addition to BLM administered land, Moab Helitack responds to incident requests on National Forest, National Park Service, and Utah State Land which add more than two million more acres of difficult terrain to our initial attack response area. 

The Helitack program in Moab is young, having only been in operation for 8 years.  In 2004 we started the Cargo Letdown Program.  This program allows us a safe alternative when it comes to getting gear into tight spots and rugged areas of the canyon lands terrain.  The Helitack Foreman and Assistant Foreman are qualified Cargo Letdown Spotters so that they have the ability to use this tool when and if they need to. The primary role of the helitack crewmembers/firefighters is to initial attack fires.  Moab Helitack initial attacks an average of 47 fires per season and supports an average of 12 extended attack fires. We also assist in projects with different divisions with the Moab Field Office and occasionally do search and rescues for the NPs or local sheriff.  Our average flight time per season is 250 hours.

BEING A MOAB HELITACK CREWMEMBER

Working on a helitack crew is a rewarding and challenging experience.  The Moab program provides safe and efficient Aviation management in support of wildfire operations.  Helitack is a demanding job, requiring crewmembers to be highly motivated, physically fit, and Type I quality firefighters. A minimum of one year fire experience and Helicopter crewmember trainee are required. Crewmembers need to be able to work in a dynamic and many times stressful environment.  Helitack crewmembers must be able to function well as both a team member and as an individual, working in conjunction with other fire resources on district.

PHYSICAL FITNESS STANDARDS

Individuals considering working on a Helitack crew need to be able to complete the pack test at the arduous level, which is 45 pound pack, 3 miles flat terrain, in 45 minutes.  Besides the pack test, we have several other minimum fitness goals:

· 1.5 mile run in 11:40 minutes · 5 pull-ups · 30 sit-ups in one minute · 20 push-ups in one minute

Once the season has started, Helitack has a fairly rigorous physical training (PT) schedule.  Moab Helitack has seven day coverage and we PT each day, either hiking or running on specified days, completing from 2-5 miles or calisthenics, usually as a group.  On Sundays, we usually do an all crew PT/training.  PT time is an hour long each day and we make the most of it!

LOCATION/HOUSING/RECREATION

The Moab Valley in southeast Utah is a mecca for tourism worldwide.  Moab is located 5 miles south of Arches National Park and about 27 miles Northeast of Canyonlands National Park and within traveling distance to other popular recreation spots such as: Lake Powell, Colorado National Monument, Dead Horse Point State Park, etc. Hiking, biking, climbing, fishing, river rafting, and 4-wheeling are all activities accessible minutes from town. The Moab BLM does have housing facilities which are located near the helibase, rent is approximately $145 per month.  Rent in town can range anywhere from $250 for rented rooms to $800 for an apartment. The Moab Helibase is located 10 miles south of Moab near Ken's Lake.  Helitack works out of the Helibase for the duration of the 3 month helicopter contract.  The facility is a large airplane hanger with a bathroom/shower area, meeting area and landing pad.

CONTACTS

Mike Worthington, Helicopter Manager
Moab Interagency Fire Center

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