From Iceland — Picture Story: Airborne Fire-Fighters

Picture Story: Airborne Fire-Fighters

Published May 11, 2021

Iceland has no armed forces, but the nation’s coast guard often steps into the gap to undertake certain specialist tasks. One of those is fighting fires from a helicopter using a large container—known as a “bambi bucket”—slung underneath to drop water on the flames.

We joined a coast guard helicopter crew at their Reykjavík base and hitched a ride to Skorradalsvatn, a lake in the west of the country, to watch them tackle a fire-fighting training exercise.

Click on each pic for full effect…

Flight Preparations

Cockpit Control

Airborne Over Reykjavík

Field Exercises

Firefighting From Above

Stowing Bambi

Debrief And Return

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