In Xingyi City, Qianxinan Prefecture, there is an aviation rescue station, which was established on January 30, 2024, covering an area of 117.3 acres, with a construction area of 2345.2 square meters, 2 aprons, 1 airport runway (600 meters long and 30 meters wide), with a total of 19 team members, equipped with two rescue helicopters of French Airbus H125 and Bell 206, and an Arora fixed-wing aircraft. Equipped with more than 70 sets of professional rescue equipment such as on-site communication, fire extinguishing buckets, rescue stretchers, and loudspeaker speakers, it undertakes tasks such as search and rescue, material transportation, control and command, medical rescue, personnel evacuation, and material delivery.
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The daily training of the rescue station implements paramilitary management, not only learning helicopter-related theoretical knowledge, but also carrying out helicopter locking and landing techniques, training wounded transport and other exercises. In the exercise, it is often simulated that under the extreme conditions of "road damage, power outage, and communication paralysis", aviation rescue is carried out in a difficult and strict manner. Through unremitting efforts, the air rescue station has five major functions: "reconnaissance, fire extinguishing, rescue, transportation, and delivery", as well as the combat mode of "aviation + mountain", "aviation + water" and "aviation + communication".
In the mountain fire rescue, the aviation rescue station played a great role, solving the pain point problem that it is difficult for ground rescuers to reach the fire area in the karst landform area with high slopes and steep valleys in Guizhou, effectively testing the cooperative combat ability of the aviation rescue station, showing the team's excellent work style, and deepening the training results.
At the beginning of the first month of 2024, wildfires broke out in many areas of Guizhou Province, on the one hand, because the wind direction is changeable, and the local wind force can reach level 9, resulting in frequent flying fires at the scene, forming multiple fire points, and it is difficult to extinguish. On the other hand, the terrain of the fire site is complex and the vegetation is dry, which is prone to explosion and high risk. The rapidly spreading fire threatens the surrounding forest resources and various housing facilities, making it difficult for conventional ground rescue forces.
The main goal of the aviation rescue team is to attack the fire line and protect the key points, and the air and ground cooperate closely to form an integrated and efficient firefighting situation of "air + ground". The helicopter is not limited by ground roads and traffic conditions, and arrives at the scene of the incident for emergency rescue with its low-altitude, fast and efficient advantages.
After receiving the order to extinguish the wildfire, the aviation rescue station quickly dispatched, and the firefighters flew to the site of the wildfire by helicopter. The commander descends with a rope to a nearby hill where the fire occurred, conducts observation and command, and provides coordinates for the helicopter pilot. The helicopter pilot immediately went to the nearest water intake point to get water, and after taking the water, he flew straight to the fire scene to sprinkle the water to extinguish the fire, and so on until the extinguishing was completed.
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The specific rescue process is divided into two parts: underground and air. In the underground, through the commander's on-site reconnaissance, the direction of the fire is predicted, and water cannon positions are set up and the reserve unit is provided with uninterrupted water supply; unmanned aerial vehicles are used to conduct reconnaissance by means of aerial photography and infrared fire point scanning to provide the commander with a basis for judgment; and the deployment of forces is adjusted according to changes in wind direction and the spread of fire.
In the air, the firefighters flew a helicopter to the site of the wildfire, and the helicopter driver immediately went to the nearest water intake point nearby to get water, and flew straight to the fire scene after taking the water. At the same time, after the helicopter fights the fire, it also provides the ground commander with aerial fire reconnaissance reports, patrol alarms, satellite hotspot reconnaissance and image data, providing strong support for the ground rescue team.
Rescue helicopters shuttling back and forth above the fire scene are equipped with fire extinguishing buckets to carry out bucket sprinkling operations. Helicopter bucket fire extinguishing has the characteristics of strong mobility and flexible use, which can minimize the harm of forest fires. When the helicopter extinguishes the fire with a bucket, it can form a water belt with a width of 10 meters and a length of 80 meters, which can extinguish forest fires of more than 800 square meters at a time and extinguish important fire lines.
The rescue helicopter has many advantages and functions, but at the same time, it also puts forward higher requirements for the pilot's skills. In the process of taking water, the driver should choose a relatively flat terrain and a wide field of vision to carry out water intake operations, and there can be no obstacles that threaten flight safety; hovering about 10 meters away from the water surface for upwind and smooth water operations, and the depth of the water source should not be less than 2 meters, and when hovering to lift water, pay attention to observe whether there are fishing nets or tree stumps hidden under the water surface to prevent the bucket from being hung.
In addition to fetching water, sprinkling water is also a "technical job". In the first fire phase of a wildfire, the helicopter controls the fire by sprinkling water to reduce the temperature of the fire. If the water flies at an altitude of more than 100 meters, the water will drift severely, the accuracy of the spraying will be reduced, and the amount of water sprayed per unit area will be reduced. If the aircraft is too low, the temperature in the cockpit will rise rapidly, which will bring great physical and mental challenges to the crew, and the head fire and smoke will also cause the engine to suffocate due to lack of oxygen and stop. The speed of the helicopter should not exceed 100 km/h when the helicopter is fully loaded.
"The rescue process is an all-round test of the skills, physical and psychological aspects of our rescuers. Jiang Commander of the Aviation Rescue Station said. According to statistics, since 2024, the Southwest Guizhou Fire and Rescue Detachment has received more than 40 reports of mountain fires, and the aviation rescue station has dispatched 2 helicopters, 84 sorties, a total of 202 flight hours, 1,722 barrels of water, and a total of 1,377.6 tons of water, which has played a vital role in fighting mountain fires.