Helicopter Association International (HAI) held its 2nd Annual Firefighting Safety Forum in Boise, Idaho, at the Hilton Garden Inn Boise Spectrum on Thursday, November 19. The Forum was conducted from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and included presentations from the U.S. Forest Service and the Department of the Interior’s Aviation Management.

HAI operator members who conduct helicopter firefighting operations, with an interest in providing services to the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the Department of the Interior (DOI), were strongly encouraged to attend. The Forum addressed safety initiatives, safety management systems, training, human factors, accident analysis, and an overview of the past fire season as well as looking ahead to the 2010 fire season.

There were more than 60 attendees at this year’s Safety Forum. J. Heffernan, HAI’s safety Director briefed the attendees on the benefits of Safety Management Systems.