ADAPT CHOPPERS TO BETTER FIGHT FIRES
While our firefighters work with a minimum number of water-carrying helicopters, how many expensive, powerful military helicopters sit idly by at Shearwater or on ships?
Couldn’t several of them be equipped with a quick coupling to attach and dump buckets? Yes, I know flying these machines with a swinging bucket of water is very difficult and takes a lot of training, but who gets more training than our military?
Think how much they would save, fighting a fire. Think outside the box. Merrill Conrad, Halifax
TRAINS SPARK FIRE POTENTIAL
As a retired railway worker, I was dismayed to see CN is still running trains through heavily wooded areas in spite of all the dangers surrounding our resources right now.
All parks are closed and activities, including commercial, have been banned, but trains still run through heavily forested areas.
It is a documented fact that trains can inadvertently start fires from the exhaust throwing hot particulates onto extremely dry areas. The braking systems also generate tremendous heat from the friction required to slow movement.
I’m just wondering if this is sound judgment in these circumstances. Wade Furey, Waverley
WILDFIRES OUR NEW ENEMY
The reason for the existence of the Canadian Armed Forces is to protect Canada.
We have a new enemy, that being the increase of forest fires, which devastate an important natural resource.
I suggest we train a good percentage of Forces personnel in forest fire suppression and have them quickly mobile to get them to fire locations to protect our country and our people. We are paying for them so why not employ them to give this type of protection?
Douglas Millar, Liverpool