September brought two more deployments for HELI COMPANY’s UH-60A Black Hawk during forest firefighting operations in Slovakia. Within the space of one week, the Black Hawk was deployed first to Slovenský raj and subsequently to the area beneath the High Tatras near Kežmarok.
This time, however, the story is not just about the helicopter’s deployment. The two operations resulted in a tangible operational record: more than 89 water drops and dozens of hours of work by the crews directly over the fire areas.
Slovenský raj: an operation that continued into the following day
The fire broke out on 2 September in the Pukanec area near Smižany, on the edge of Slovenský raj National Park. The fire affected coniferous forest over an area of approximately 200 × 200 metres, with firefighting operations continuing into the following day.
Two Black Hawk helicopters were involved in the operation on the first day. According to the Slovenský raj National Park Administration, they carried out 11 water drops by the evening, while ground firefighting units continued operations throughout the night and into the following day.
HELI COMPANY’s UH-60A joined the operation repeatedly. The total operational record of the deployment amounted to more than 47 water drops, equivalent to approximately 111,000 litres of water and more than 7 flight hours.
The fire was subsequently contained to an area of approximately 1.5 hectares. Professional and volunteer firefighters took part in the operation, while Slovenský raj National Park personnel continued with fire detection and the extinguishing of remaining smouldering hotspots.
A week later, beneath the High Tatras
Only a few days later, another deployment followed — this time in the cadastral area of the municipality of Stráne pod Tatrami in the Kežmarok District.
The fire, reported on the morning of 9 September, affected approximately 25,000 m² of vegetation. The fire was spreading not only across the surface but also through the root system and the tree crowns.
Professional firefighters, volunteer fire brigades from Mlynčeky, Ľubica, Rakúsy and Spišská Belá, as well as personnel from the GFFF-V East ground firefighting module, were involved in the operation.
For HELI COMPANY, these are two more chapters in this year’s firefighting season, which has already included UH-60 deployments not only in Slovakia, but also in France, Cyprus and Serbia.
Each operation has its own course and its own specific challenges — from the first water drop to the final extinguishing of remaining hotspots. It is the accumulated operational record at the end of the season, however, that ultimately illustrates the true scale of the work carried out by Black Hawk crews throughout the firefighting season.
