THE RAND Study:Air Attack Against Wildfires

THE RAND STUDY - 2012 Air Attack Against Wildfires: Understanding U.S. Forest Service Requirements for Large Aircraft The RAND Homeland Security and Defense Center

In the fall of 2009, the U.S. Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, asked the RAND Corporation to undertake the study “Determination and Cost-Benefit Analysis of the Optimal Mix of Helicopters and Airtankers for the U.S. Forest Service.” The Forest Service requested additional follow-up analyses in the fall of 2010. The objective of these research projects was to assist the Forest Service in determining the composition of a fleet of airtankers, scoopers, and helicopters that would minimize the total social costs of wildfires, including the cost of large fires and the cost of aircraft. This report summarizes the research approach and results and should be of interest to Forest Service officials and others who are concerned with ensuring that the nation’s wildfire-fighting capabilities are maintained in an efficient and cost-effective way...

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