Wildfire Water Bucket Training

This course is made up of 3 hours of ground school and is supported by PowerPoint and DVD presentations. Ground school is integrated with 2 flight training sessions of 1 hour each for conventional belly hooked non long line water bucketing.  For DVOC vertical reference long line water bucketing, see note bellow*.

Course content includes:

  • Water-bucket set up and testing
  • Bucket care maintenance (pilots and mechanics)
  • Safety on the job
  • Inspection of rigging
  • Belly hook bucketing (bucket control head connected to belly hook. no lanyard or long line)
  • Operation of sundry components (depending on bucket manufacturer)

*Note: For Vertical Reference Long-Line Course graduates,  2 x 1 hour practice exercises will provide a solid introduction to long-line water bucketing. The training time varies depending on pilot's past work experience.

Consultation and contact information for the purchase of equipment specific to the fire behavior and terrain in your country can be provided.