Remember when Smokey the Bear was a hero to all of us? He reminded us to be careful with matches and campfires when in the forest, to prevent fires that would cost a lot of money, and often much worse, both for our furry forest friends and the humans trying to protect them. Just like the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny, however, Smokey has become a dim recollection from our naive past while the mega-agency he once proudly represented has become the 900 pound gorilla, in many cases doing more harm than good.

Wildland firefighting has become a major seasonal business for thousands of vendors under USFS contract. Inflated prices on items such as equipment, fuel, box lunches, bottled water, Porta-Johns, clothing, snacks, Etc. has turned wildland firefighting into a multi-billion dollar enterprise for many, while our brave firefighters are forced to risk their lives, relying on outdated and inefficient apparatus supplied by "good ol' boy" USFS contractors.

How so?....For decades, the USFS has demanded the use of a toxic, corrosive, and expensive fire "retardant" in all its contracted air tankers. Until it was successfully sued by a group of its own workers (Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics) forcing the agency to discontinue its use, approximately 30,000,000 gallons of the Cyanide-based chemical poisoned our environment each year, often causing massive fish kills in the affected areas. By the USFS's own statements the $2.00 per gallon fire retardant does not stop fires. It merely retards the growth until ground crews can arrive on scene. Then why use it in the first place when there are much more efficient, safer and less expensive ($.17 per gallon) chemicals available that have the Presidential Green Chemistry Award, are 100% effective at actually extinguishing the flames and keeping them from reigniting up to 3,000 degrees. Ask the USFS....

Why didn't more USFS leaders go to prison when they were caught transferring several modern C-130 aircraft, worth more than $300,000,000, from the USAF to private contractors ( "60 Minutes" - "Some of Our Planes are Missing"). Ask the USFS....

How has the USFS been successful in keeping the world's largest, and most effective firefighting air tanker OUT of U.S. service for more than a decade, while continuing to sign contracts to utilize small, antique (WWII-vintage), ineffective and, often unsafe air tankers to protect our nation from the ever-increasing damage, injuries and deaths caused by the annual wildland fires? Since 1995 ( when it was recommended for use by the USFS's own aviation expert) six of the remarkable IL-76 Waterbombers have been offered for service. Each of these planes can easily stop a raging wildfire over an area equal to twelve football fields in less than fifteen seconds! They do it routinely worldwide. They have NEVER lost a fire, nor had an accident on the dangerous missions. They are equipped with heat-seeking radar for safe, 24-hour operation, unlike the private U.S. fleet which is prohibited from flying at night due to the lack of such sophisticated equipment. Aviation experts predict the IL-76s could cut the wildland firefighting losses by as much as 50% and stop the large fires in a fraction of the time it now takes. Want answers? Don't ask the USFS...They have none. They only know how to ask for more money, not less. And then there is the problem of what to do with the millions of dollars worth of bottled water and boxed lunches that will be purchased in anticipation of the longer and more destructive fire season planned for next year.

For further information see Global Emergency Response, then contact your elected representative and ask....WHY?

* Tom Robinson serves as Chief of Global Emergency Response and International Liaison to the Russian Government, which has offered the IL-76s to the USFS each year since 1995.