Photo: Courtesy PJ Helicopters VAI Member Spotlight: UAFA, Washington, DC, USA Advocating for the interests of US aerial firefighters, association that formed in 2022 promotes safety and standardization for the fire-suppression industry. By Jen Boyer Against a backdrop of fires growing hotter, covering larger areas, and spreading faster around the world with government regulators struggling to keep up with effective contracting and regulations, a group of aerial firefighting stakeholders came together in 2022 to form the United Aerial Firefighting Association (UAFA). Based in Washington, DC, the group established the fledgling organization to foster and promote safety and standardization in the aerial firefighting community through education, advocacy, and collaboration. Billings Flying Service is one of UAFA’s members. Courtesy Billings Flying Service Born from a Need for Change The UAFA came into existence because of industry frustration and a need for change. For more than a decade, the US government attempted to curb the advance of wildfires through investing in forest health while maintaining spending levels for fire suppression at the same relative amounts. The association’s founders felt a need to pull the industry together so that operators, suppliers, and industry supporters could work together to alter the current trajectory of wildland firefighting standards and operational practices. The UAFA’s leadership believes the solution is a combination of investment in prevention, suppression, and community hardening to drive better outcomes for taxpaying residents who expect their lives and property to be safe from fires. By driving standards for improved safety, competency, and response times across the entire aerial firefighting complex, the UAFA is working to help the residents and agencies it serves improve the wildfire management system for everyone. Representing the Industry Paul Petersen heads the association as executive director and focuses his energy on key issues affecting the long-term viability of the aerial firefighting community. This includes significant focus on developments in the US Congress. “UAFA has been working with congressional staffers and agencies to develop solutions to implement the Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission (WFMMC) recommendations, especially those focused on the federal government’s use of private industry, which accounts for over 50% of the spending for fire suppression,” Petersen shares. A Hillsboro Aviation crew prepares for a firefighting mission. Courtesy Hillsboro Aviation. “Our efforts address over 15 of the WFMMC recommendations, many of which could be implemented by the agencies as soon as the law is passed, saving the government millions of dollars and hundreds of agency staff hours by providing services and equipment to more quickly support wildfires and the companies that support wildland fire suppression by expanding their ability to invest in experienced workers, equipment, and technology—all of which will reduce the likelihood that homes and forests will be destroyed.” Advocacy in the States The UAFA also engages with state and federal agencies to maintain relationships, provide feedback and advocacy, and help its members provide services to prevent and suppress wildland fires, as well as restoration services after a fire. Today, the UAFA represents 86 corporate, affiliate, and partner member companies with more than 64,170 employees in total. This includes 13 aerial firefighting helicopter operators. Jen Boyer is the principal of her own firm, Flying Penguin Communications. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and holds commercial, instrument, flight instructor, and instrument instructor ratings in helicopters and a private rating in airplanes. She has worked as a professional journalist and marketing communicator in the aviation industry since the early 1990s. Hi, I'm Chris DeJoy
