As Manitoba continues to battle a punishing wildfire season, a local aviation company wants the province to consider a firefighting tool it believes has been underutilized. Dave Frisch is president of Portage Aircraft Specialties Ltd., a dealership that sells air tractors. The specialized aircraft are common sights over large-scale farms during planting season, spraying pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers over hungry fields. However, if you add specially designed floats, these aircraft become a type of water bomber known as the Fire Boss. “It creates a very effective, fast-acting firefighting aircraft,” Frisch said in an interview Friday on CTV Morning Live Winnipeg. Moreover, these water bombers are smaller than most in the province’s fleet and can scoop out water from smaller bodies and get into tighter, more remote areas. This could be particularly helpful in a place like Manitoba, he added, which has over 100,000 lakes covering roughly 15 per cent of the province. “Which means there are water sources all across our beautiful province which can be utilized in a scooping aircraft for initial attack and getting fires under control before they get out of control.” They’re also cheaper. Most models run at about $5 million, compared to the roughly $80 million the province is spending to replace three aging CL215 water bombers with newer DHC-515 models. Those models won’t be ready until the 2031 fire season, while Frisch said the retrofitted agriculture tankers take only a number of months to produce. “It would be a fantastic tool for this province, and it would be greatly utilized here right now.” The province agrees. A press secretary for Natural Resources and Indigenous Futures Minister Ian Bushie said Minnesota loaned its Fire Boss to fight flames in Lac du Bonnet, but it was quickly called back for use in the States. The province said it will consider these aircraft in the future, while its focus remains on fighting the wildfires currently raging in Manitoba. - With files from CTV’s Rachel Lagacé and Danton Unger
