Air Rescue
The maximum rated load/ safe working load for the hoist cable
What is 550 lbs
When there is unburnt fuel between you and the fire
What is Watch out #11
This pulse, commonly checked on the wrist near the base of the thumb, helps assess a person’s heart rate and rhythm
What is the Radial Pulse
Wildland firefighters working in dusty environments in the Southwest and south-central Washington may be exposed to this fungal illness caused by inhaling spores from disturbed soil, with symptoms appearing one to three weeks after exposure
What is Valley Fever
This invisible but powerful force generated by a helicopter’s rotor system can exceed 80 mph and poses hazards like blowing debris, reduced visibility, and risks to personnel in the landing zone
What is Rotor Wash
This device shall ONLY be used an attended device
What is a Cinch Collar
These vertically arranged fuels allow fire to climb from ground level into the forest canopy, intensifying wildfire behavior
What are Ladder fuels
Despite sounding like gasping for air, this irregular, labored breathing pattern is a sign of severe hypoxia and often occurs near cardiac arrest
What is Agonal Breathing
This aerial tactic uses long-line equipment beneath a helicopter to transport tools, supplies, and other logistical items to remote fireline locations, minimizing ground crew fatigue and maximizing efficiency
What is a Sling Load
Due to their size, weight, and wheel-based landing gear, these helicopters require a touchdown pad of 30 feet by 30 feet and a 110-foot safety circle when operating in wildland fire zones
What are Type 1 Helicopters
The total number of strands on the rescue hoist cable including the outer number of strands and the inner number of strands respectively
What is 19 total strands
12 outer
7 inner
This meteorological phenomenon occurs when cooler, stable air is trapped beneath a layer of warmer air, often delaying smoke dispersion, suppressing fire activity in the morning, and then breaking later in the day to release trapped heat and accelerate fire behavior
What is a temperature inversion (Inversion Layer)
This airway-opening maneuver is commonly used in trauma patients with suspected spinal injury, avoiding head tilt to protect the cervical spine
What is the Jaw-Thrust maneuver
This device, sometimes referred to as a “ping-pong ball machine,” is used by helicopters to ignite vegetation in a controlled pattern by dropping chemical-filled spheres that ignite shortly after impact
What is a Plastic Sphere Dispenser (PSD)
This designated location within the Incident Command System serves as the central hub for refueling, maintenance, personnel transport, and coordination of all rotary-wing resources assigned to an incident
What is the HELIBASE
This tragedy fire lead to the implementation of CAL FIREs Air Rescue program
What is the Lauder Fire
This moisture-related metric reflects the dryness of dead fuels smaller than 1/4 inch in diameter, responding quickly to changes in temperature, humidity, and wind, and is a critical component in predicting ignition potential during initial attack
What is 1-hour fuel moisture (1 Hour fuels)
This acronym helps EMS providers quickly evaluate a patient’s level of consciousness, ranging from Alert to Unresponsive
What is AVPU
A – Alert: The patient is awake and responsive without any external stimulation.
V – Verbal: The patient responds to verbal stimuli (e.g., opens eyes or speaks when spoken to).
P – Pain: The patient only responds to painful stimuli (like a sternal rub or pinching).
U – Unresponsive: The patient does not respond to verbal or painful stimuli at all
This maneuver allows a helicopter to drop off or pick up personnel in rugged terrain without landing, requiring exceptional coordination between the pilot and ground crew to ensure stability during the brief contact with one skid
What is a Hover Step
The maximum rated weight capacity in LBS per square foot of the main cabin deck of the S70-i
What is 300 Lbs
The Hoist Emergency Procedure for a Cable Entanglement
Refer
These hot, dry, downslope winds occur along the Santa Ynez Mountains near Santa Barbara, intensifying in the evening as high pressure north of the range drives air rapidly downhill, often fanning wildfires with gusts exceeding 50 mph and creating unpredictable, fast-moving fire fronts
What are Sundowner winds
Often presenting hours after intense exertion, this condition in wildland firefighters is caused by muscle breakdown, releasing myoglobin into the bloodstream and potentially leading to kidney failure; early signs include dark-colored urine and muscle pain, requiring aggressive hydration and field evacuation
What is Rhabdomyolysis?
This tactical aviation document, developed by the Air Operations Branch in coordination with Operations and Planning, outlines aircraft assignments, airspace deconfliction, frequencies, and mission timelines for the next operational period on an incident
What is the AIR OPERATIONS SUMMARY (ICS-220)
These two acronyms describe a helicopter's ability to hover either close to the ground or in open air, and are critical when calculating allowable payload during flight planning
What are HIGE and HOGE
Define their meaning