Return to Newsroom

Ready for the call: Inside J.D. Irving, Limited's aerial firefighting team.

Wildfire preparedness is a year-round effort, and J.D. Irving, Limited's Forest Patrol team is ready to respond when fire season arrives in New Brunswick. From pilots and firefighters to specialized aircraft and equipment, Forest Patrol works tirelessly to help protect forests, wildlife and nearby communities.

J.D. Irving, Limited is the only private forestry company in Canada with its own firefighting fleet, including:

4 Air Tractor AT-802 water tanker planes
1 Kodiak spotter plane
2 helicopters
37 fire trucks
115 trained firefighters
10 pilots
360,000 feet of hose
7 private airstrips with fuel and water

For Deputy Chief Pilot Ian Osborne, who flies the Air Tractor AT-802 planes, preparedness is part of the daily routine.

"Picture a typical firehall with the ground fire team; we're doing the same thing," said Ian. "We do a daily weather briefing, talk to the provincial fire team and work together to set a readiness level. We then prep the aircraft and are on standby waiting for a fire call."

Behind these resources are hundreds of hours of training. Pilots regularly conduct training flights that simulate wildfire responses, practicing the coordination and communication required when multiple aircraft are working together over a fire.

"The training flights are a ballet in the air," said Ian. "Everything is controlled. It's a very technical display, and very safe when done right."

Recent upgrades have strengthened the aerial firefighting fleet, including the addition of four Air Tractor AT-802 aircraft. Now in their third full season of operation, the aircraft have significantly increased the team's capacity to deliver water while improving response time, enabling Ian and the team to be airborne and anywhere in New Brunswick in less than an hour.

While the sight of water bombers overhead often captures public attention, Ian says what

people don't always see is the level of planning and teamwork behind every mission.

"Most people don't understand the true scope of what we do," he said. "It's easy to say I'm a water bomber pilot, but the cooperation between all the air and ground assets, the attention to detail and the professionalism required from the ground all the way up in the air is what makes everything work."

For the Forest Patrol team, readiness isn't just about aircraft and equipment. It's about the skilled people behind them, working together every day so they can respond quickly and safely when wildfire strikes.