Fire crews ask Utah recreationists to stay clear as aircraft collect water

HENEFER, Summit County — As helicopters make repeated trips to nearby reservoirs to collect water for the Rocky Canyon Fire, fire officials are urging boaters, paddleboarders and swimmers to give aircraft plenty of room to operate.

Many people know to pull over for emergency vehicles on the road, but the rules are less familiar when emergency responders are flying overhead.

"When you're doing your driver's test, you're told you need to get out of the way of emergency vehicles on the road," said Maggie Rockhill, public information officer technician with the U.S. Forest Service. "I don't know about you, but I wasn't told rules around staying out of the way of helicopters with paddleboarding."

Fire officials said aircraft need unobstructed access to reservoirs to safely refill and return to the fire line.

"Our advice is to stay at least 100 feet away from the helicopters," Rockhill said. "But we would prefer if you would stay near the banks or out of the water."

If aircraft crews encounter people on the water, operations can be disrupted.

"If you can, please go find somewhere else to recreate and stay out of the way," Rockhill said. "Because if you're in the water, we can't operate. At the end of the day, safety is our No. 1 priority. We're not going to do anything to endanger you or your family."

Crews battling the Rocky Canyon Fire have access to multiple water sources near the fire.

"We're really fortunate up here that we are near three reservoirs, so Rockport, Echo and East Canyon," Rockhill said. "We've used all of them to fight this fire."

Access to all three state parks has been limited or entirely closed since the fire began.

In addition to drawing water directly from reservoirs, firefighters have deployed large, inflatable portable reservoirs known as "pumpkins."

"We have these special helicopters that drop down and use basically a giant straw to fill up their tank so they can go up to fight fire," Rockhill said. "We also use those to bring water even closer to the fire."

The Utah National Guard is also assisting.

"You can see these National Guard helicopters dropping really low, like 60 feet off the ground, and basically dipping a bucket into the water. There's actually a person watching the string to make sure the bucket gets completely filled with water," Rockhill explained.

Air operations typically run for eight hours each day because of the demands placed on flight crews.

"Air operations is an incredibly difficult task," Rockhill said. "So they're running an eight-hour shift during the day because that's when it's the safest to operate."

Despite their visibility, aviation resources serve a supporting role in wildfire suppression.

"Aviation resources are incredibly critical to firefighting operations, but they do not put the fire out," Rockhill said. "Water cools down the fire and retardant can slow the fire. But at the end of the day, it's the boots on the ground that put the fire out."

Rockport State Park announced on Facebook that boat access has reopened, though officials cautioned that access could change as fire operations evolve. Echo Reservoir remains closed to watercraft and public access. East Canyon State Park is also closed, per the evacuation order.

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