In the summer of 2021, five “Fire Boss” airplanes from Dauntless Air skimmed a lake to fight a wildfire in Washington state, roaring across the water one by one to fill their twin pontoons. CEO Brett L’Esperance likened the single-engine aircraft to “Dusty Crophopper” from Planes 2. Videos of the maneuver showed how these small, nimble planes scoop water and drop it on fires.
Although the U.S. government leads the response to most large wildfires, nearly all of the roughly 500 firefighting aircraft used are privately owned and contracted. Last year those planes consumed about $50 million worth of jet fuel. With jet fuel prices having jumped since the war in Iran began in late February, that bill could nearly double to about $100 million if this season matches last year’s activity. Ultimately, taxpayers cover most of those costs, because many aerial firefighting contracts allow companies to pass higher fuel prices through to the government.
Retired firefighting-aircraft pilot Willis Curdy, who flew wildfires for nearly 40 years, said aerial firefighting pushes planes and pilots far beyond routine flying. “This is not like getting in a 737 and going to 33,000 feet,” he said, noting that the aggressive maneuvers needed to drop water or retardant demand far more power and fuel than high-altitude cruising.
The U.S. Forest Service, which manages most federal wildfire responses, declined an interview but told NPR it budgeted $45 million for fire aviation fuel this year—$7 million less than last year. Curdy suspected that figure will change as the season unfolds. Last year’s fuel spending was slightly above the six-year average, but this winter’s very dry to record-dry conditions across several Western states have raised the odds of an especially active and costly fire season.
L’Esperance said his greater worry is not just higher prices but potential shortages. Much of the jet fuel used across the West is refined in California, and the California Energy Commission reported refinery jet-fuel stocks at their lowest in more than two years. The American Petroleum Institute has noted that the U.S. West Coast is more reliant on imported oil than other regions, and those imports have been disrupted by the war in Iran. “When things get really, really busy and scary in that late June, July, August and September time frame, if we don’t have the fuel to respond, we just can’t respond,” L’Esperance said.
The Forest Service has not said whether it expects a fuel shortage this year but told NPR it has the flexibility to spend more if necessary. Federal forecasters are predicting an active fire season across much of the West, underscoring the risk that rising fuel costs and potential supply constraints could increase the expense and complexity of aerial firefighting when demand is highest.