As the European summer arrives, the quiet hum of readiness returns to dozens of firefighting bases across Spain, Italy and Portugal. Preparations are shifting into full gear as crews and aircraft ready themselves for the high-risk months ahead.

Aerial firefighting is among the most hazardous missions in emergency services aviation. Crews fly at low altitudes, often in mountainous terrain, with smoke-obscured visibility, high temperatures, and multiple aircraft operating in the same tight location, dropping heavy loads of water onto wildfires with unpredictable behaviour, all while keeping ground fire brigades in mind.

The risks are ever-present, and safety protocols are continuously reinforced. During pre-season preparations, Avincis crews gather to review procedures, refine protocols, reconnect, and share learnings and experiences. Around 500 personnel are involved in our firefighting operations in Southern Europe and Chile — pilots, engineers, mechanics, logistics staff, and operations planners. Training is of utmost importance and begins months before the first forest fires, with pilots using simulators and conducting real flights and exercises with fire brigades and Bambi Buckets for rotary-wing aircraft, and scooping and dropping carousels in nearby lakes and rivers for our fixed-wing fleet of amphibious water-bombing Canadairs.

Aerial firefighting is Avincis’ second-largest activity, following air ambulance and helicopter emergency medical services. With a firefighting fleet comprising more than 70 aircraft — around 50 helicopters and over 20 aeroplanes — we transport fire brigades to the front line of wildfires, support reconnaissance and surveillance flights (including with uncrewed aircraft), and provide water drops using light to heavy helicopters, from Airbus AS355 to Bell 412 and Super Pumas, capable of releasing between 500 and 3,500 litres of water. For more than 20 years, we have operated CL-215 and CL-415 Canadairs, with the latter always available for deployment from Italy to neighbouring countries under the European civil protection programme, RescEU.

In recent years, fire seasons have started earlier and lasted longer. According to European Forest Fire Information System data, 2022 and 2023 ranked among the worst wildfire seasons on record. Spain recorded more than 300,000 hectares burned in 2022 — the highest in the EU that year and nearly triple the country’s average annual burned area from the previous decade. Italy has seen rising fire intensity in southern and central regions, driven by prolonged droughts. Portugal faced intense fires during unusually hot periods, with over 100,000 hectares affected.

Across these countries, the combination of climate change, rural depopulation, and fuel accumulation has drastically increased wildfire risk. Flexibility, mobility, and early-season readiness have become essential. What burned last year may not burn again, but what never burned before might — fire behaviour is shifting, and historical burn maps no longer provide reliable guidance.

In 2024, Avincis’ global firefighting fleet logged more than 8,500 hours of firefighting missions, over half of which were flown by our Canadairs in Italy and under RescEU missions in Greece and Albania.

Engineering the front line

Aerial firefighting season preparation is methodical. Each helicopter and aeroplane undergoes a series of inspections, upgrades, and calibrations tailored to the mission profile.

Preparations begin as soon as one season ends. Super Puma helicopters return to Avincis’ maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) centre in Albacete, Spain. Our Bell 412 fleet is split between Alicante, also in Spain, and our Portuguese MRO centre in Salemas, Lisbon.

Canadair aeroplanes are no exception. The Spanish fleet of CL-215s, which has operated in Portugal for two decades, is maintained at our third Spanish maintenance centre in Salamanca. The Italian fleet of CL-415s, the largest in the world, is maintained at 100% availability from our Ciampino base, from where they deploy to six operational bases across continental Italy and the islands of Sicily and Sardinia.

People behind the response

Aircraft are far from the only equipment considered during seasonal preparations. Bambi Buckets —collapsible buckets suspended beneath helicopters to collect and drop water — are essential for fire suppression. Inspection, repair, and preparation of over 140 of these are carried out at Avincis’ Bambi Bucket workshop in Alicante.

The team maintains 16 different models, with capacities ranging from 450 to 5,000 litres, including the latest-generation MAX models, which require specialised maintenance. Before each bucket returns to a fire base, it is fully inspected to ensure that, under pressure, pilots and ground crews can trust the equipment to perform. “With lives and forests at stake, not a single drop of water can be wasted,” says Luis Miguel, one of Avincis’ Bambi Bucket workshop technicians.

Official maintenance manuals are not the only source of technical knowledge. During the fire season, Avincis technicians travel more than 8,000 kilometres supporting firefighting crews and gathering insights to improve off-season workflows. “When problems arise and we’re called to a remote firefighting base, we aim not only to fix the issue and clear the equipment for use, but also to understand why it happened and prevent recurrence,” continues Luis Miguel. These learnings often lead to new procedures, safety protocols, and process improvements introduced each year.

Training, Training, Training

Training for wildfire suppression goes far beyond mastering flight controls. It’s about preparing for the real environment of firegrounds, where teamwork is everything.

Avincis’ firefighting helicopter crews undergo pre-season exercises alongside ground crews. Coordination between air and land teams is essential, especially during hot insertions, where fire brigades disembark with gear on their backs while rotors still spin above. Pilots train repeatedly to perform precise landings in rugged terrain and execute water drops under rapidly changing wind and heat conditions.

Whether flying a heavy-lift Airbus Super Puma or a nimble Bell 412, pilots must be proficient in aerial navigation, hazard avoidance, selecting safe unprepared landing sites to avoid brownouts, and mastering water drops on both flat and sloped terrain using Bambi Buckets.

“No matter how many hours you have, every season is different and starts with training. Fire doesn’t forgive mistakes, the only way to be ready and stay sharp is to train like it’s real,” says Albert Martinez, a Bell 412 instructor pilot responsible for training younger crews.

“We try to simulate everything that can happen on a real mission,” he adds, including a water bucket malfunction. In such a scenario, the pilot must hover at very low altitude, gently set the Bambi Bucket on the ground, and tip it over to empty more than half a tonne of water before safely returning to flight. “It’s a rare occurrence and seems easy to tackle, but it can be very stressful during actual firefighting,” he concludes.

A permanent commitment

The human dimension of the operation is equally vital. Across three countries, hundreds of professionals are entering their seasonal routines — pilots returning to rosters, maintenance crews ramping up component checks, logistics teams stocking spares and fuel supplies.

Preparation doesn’t stop at the hangar. Every firefighting season brings renewed collaboration with national and regional fire authorities — our customers. Mission coordination plans are reviewed, bases reactivated, and crew rotations finalised. With operations spanning three countries, aligning procedures with diverse national protocols and geographies is a complex but essential part of pre-season activity.

The memory of past seasons shapes current planning. Every mission flown, every emergency landing or close call becomes part of a shared operational memory. Teams review incident reports and lessons learned to improve future tactics. Safety is paramount and remains our number one priority.

As final schedules are established and aircraft are positioned at their bases, a quiet tension builds. When the first call comes, crews will be ready to respond. At Avincis, readiness isn’t just a season — it’s a year-round commitment.