Sometimes it’s necessary to ‘fight fire with fire’; Fire is a natural part of both forest and grassland ecology and controlled fire can be a tool for foresters. Controlled burning is necessary to meet specific land management objectives, such as to reduce flammable fuels, restore ecosystem health, recycle nutrients, or prepare an area for new trees or vegetation. Hazard reduction or controlled burning is conducted during the cooler months to reduce fuel buildup and decrease the likelihood of serious hotter fires.

Heli Aviation provides Aerial Ignition Services for State and Federal Agencies. We operate a Simplex Model 5400 Heli-Torch, as well as the “Red Dragon” and MKIII Plastic Sphere Dispensing System, which is a helicopter-mounted device that is used to dispense aerial spheres that ignite controlled or prescribed burns. The primary function of the Red Dragon/MKIII dispenser is to inject a measured amount of ethylene glycol into balls (which initiates a timed exothermic reaction). The dispenser then expels the primed spheres from the aircraft. The dispensing rate can manually be adjusted from 25-175 eggs per minute while on the fly.