Badger Mountain Fire

Chelan County Sherrif deputies Mcleod and Flick race upriver to clear the middle for the water scoopers.

Mcleod and Flick

Water scoopers can hold up to 1600 gallons of water after a 12-second water scoop.

Keeping the public safe from fire takes more than pilots and ground crews. The sheriff's department patrols the water and prevents collisions between aircraft and water vessels.

While the hand crews and air fleet are doing the work of fire fighting, dropping water bombs, and scratching fire lines, the Chelan County Sheriff's Department is in a similar way holding a line, and preventing disaster but on the water. Corporal Mannin scans the water from the shores of Confluence State Park spotting for watercraft that could be in danger of a collision, and then radios Deputies Mcleod and Flick.

Deputies on jetskis police and give warnings to paddleboarders, boaters, and jetskiers as they cross the Columbia between runs made by the aerial, firefighter water scoopers.

Helicopters fill their bucket with water out of the Columbia River and amphibious aircraft skim the surface to scoop up water that can be dropped from a height as low as 100 to 150 feet.