Visit us at WWW.FFCA.ORG 17 the wildland fire mitigation effort. They have also been used as a command and control platform for incident management. Each has a 75 gallon Bambi bucket that can be used to drop water. More than a dozen dedicated maintenance, logistic, and administrative staff members make sure that the aircraft and ground support equipment are ready to respond to the call. Most of the required maintenance and inspection of the aircraft is conducted by FFS aircraft mechanics at five aviation facilities. Field maintenance trucks and fuel trailers, driven by aircraft mechanics, often follow helicopters to fires. Locating a temporary landing site near the incident maximizes the time the helicopters spend working on a fire. Eliminating the extra distance and time required to fly to an airport for fuel and service reduces operating costs as well. Additional staff works to make certain the parts, materials, tools, facility, and seemingly endless administrative needs are met. Aerial firefighting in Florida is not limited to the FFS. It is a cooperative effort shared by many different agencies. Several county and municipal public safety organizations operate aircraft to support fire fighters in their jurisdictions. The FFS maintains and distributes the Florida Wildfire Aviation Plan that serves as the framework for state and local government aircraft operations in the vicinity of wildland fire. A focus on communication helps ensure a safe and efficient environment for fire fighters in the air and on the ground. Over the past seven decades a wide variety of aircraft and aviation applications have been used by the FFS to serve the fire fighters and people of Florida. This brief article doesn’t capture the broad types of aircraft and aviation missions that have been part of the story between the beginning and now. It has been a history that reflects a willingness to grow and adapt to changing demands. The future will see changes as the aviation program evolves as new aviation technology becomes available. Unmanned aircraft and sensor technology are developing rapidly and will likely play a significant role soon. The FFS aviation program is ready to continue to grow and adapt so that it can support the fire community and its needs into the future. April 2018 FFS.QXD 4/10/18 1:47 PM Page 17