Day 2 delivers focused safety insights at VAI’s Aerial Work Safety Conference Operators, regulators, and industry leaders addressed workforce pressures, compliance, emergency readiness, and wildfire response trends Dec. 9 in Boise, Idaho. (Boise, Idaho, Dec. 9, 2025) – VAI opened the second day of the Aerial Work Safety Conference with a full slate of operator, government, and industry briefings whose topics ranged from just culture and accident response to unmanned aircraft system (UAS) integration and US federal wildfire program updates. Day 2 began with an interactive session led by VAI President and CEO François Lassale. He used a real-time poll to identify the sector’s top concerns. Staffing shortages ranked high on the list of responses, along with questions surrounding the effort to unify US federal firefighting operations under a single agency, the US Wildland Fire Service. Contracting and timing issues also topped the list. Industry Advisory Councils Update Two of VAI’s industry advisory councils—Utility Patrol & Construction (UPAC) and Restricted & Experimental Category Aircraft (RECA)—provided focused updates on regulatory compliance. UPAC Industry Advisory Council Chair Pete Anderson outlined the group’s recent activities. Mike Kunkle, safety management system manager for PG&E, reviewed practical steps to reduce risk with a focus on human factors. During the RECA session, Chair Travis Storro detailed key regulations that govern the use, servicing, and repair of restricted aircraft such as former military helicopters. He stressed the need for clear documentation on replacement parts, regardless of whether they originate from an OEM, a military surplus with records, an authorized overhaul shop, or another aircraft with proper paperwork. Preparing for the Unexpected VyClimb Consulting’s Michael Benton urged operators to prepare for accidents and to understand how to work with federal investigators, local law enforcement, and the media during a session about the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) accident investigation process. “You should have tabletop exercises for your emergency response plan and should review it quarterly, every six months, and after an incident or accident,” he said. “If you really think about it, if you just had a fatal accident, that’s probably the worst time for you to try to come together and make a plan.” He also recommended building “emergency response kits” with checklists, cameras, notebooks, USB drives, and updated contact information for notifying the proper authorities, including the FAA and NTSB. DOI: Teamwork, Partnership Make the Difference Representatives from the US Department of the Interior (DOI) and the US Forest Service (USFS) shared data on operational trends and discussed new initiatives that affect firefighting contractors. “The numbers speak for themselves; you folks are out there doing good work and doing really good things,” said Adam Kahler, USFS national rappel specialist. Referring to recent successes, he added: “It’s teamwork, partnership that gets these people out there to put the ‘wet stuff on the hot stuff.’” Exhibitors and Sponsors VAI’s president and CEO thanked the event sponsors, Becker Avionics, Bell Helicopters, Cirro by AirSuite, Eagle, and Ozark Aeroworks, as well as nearly 40 exhibitors (listed below). Lassale closed the conference by reminding attendees that “safety is the currency of our credibility as an industry. And safety is not a destination, it’s a discipline.” 2025 Aerial Work Safety Conference Exhibitors Able Aerospace Services ACES Systems Aero Products Component Services All-System Aerospace Intl. Inc. Anodyne Electronics Manufacturing (AEM) Appareo Systems Axnes Inc. Becker Avionics Inc. Bell Textron Inc. BLR Aerospace LLC BOOST Systems Brazos Safety Systems Cirro by AirSuite Consolidated Turbine Specialists Dallas Avionics Inc. Eagle Copters Ltd. Extex Engineered Products GPMS International Helicopter Institute Inc. Helitak Firefighting Equipment Howell Instruments Kawak Aviation Technologies Leonardo Helicopters Luma Technologies Mechanical Specialties Midwest Aerospace Ltd. Nampa Valley Helicopters Ofil Airborne Onboard Systems Ozark Aeroworks Recoil Aerospace Rotorcraft Support Inc. S3 AeroDefense Skytrac Thoroughbred Aviation Maintenance Transupport Type One Incident Support Inc. VIH Aerospace Inc.
