The Martin Mars Hawaii owned by the Coulson Group of Companies drops its massive load in this undated file photo. Chief executive Wayne Coulson believes the plane would have “a huge effect” on fires like the one burning near Ladysmith. COULSON GROUP OF COMPANIES
by Darron Kloster
August 22, 2021
The Martin Mars water bomber sits idle on the shores of Sproat Lake, raising questions about why the massive aircraft isn’t being used to fight the flames ripping though the province — including in its own backyard.
The short answer, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service, is the Martin Mars “is a retired aircraft that hasn’t been used in B.C. since 2015,” said spokeswoman Jean Strong.
The service is contracting a fleet of smaller fixed-wing tankers and helicopters that can target fires quickly and efficiently, she said.
Wayne Coulson, chief executive of the Coulson Group of Companies and owner of the Martin Mars tanker, disagrees with the strategy. He flew over the Mount Hayes fire near Ladysmith this week on his way home from California, where his company’s aviation division is fighting fires on several fronts.
He said a few dumps from a tanker like the Martin Mars would have “a huge effect on that fire.”
The B.C. Wildfire Service should be using “every tool in the toolbox” during the wildfire season, he said, and that includes large tankers like the Martin Mars and Coulson’s converted Boeing 737s.
Coulson said the province has spurned his company’s contract offers for years, even after he explored converting the Martin Mars to turbo engines. As it stands, the former transport plane is grounded for the foreseeable future, its firefighting days done. The last time it attacked a fire in B.C. was in 2015, when the province awarded Coulson a 30-day contract.
“They just don’t want it,” he said. “[The wildfire service] have their own ideas on how to fight fires, and they are the only place in the world who think that way.”
The irony of the Port Alberni-based company not working within its own province isn’t lost on Coulson. The company has been working outside of the country for years, contracting firefighting with the U.S., Australian and Chilean governments.
The Martin Mars Hawaii packs a walloping wet punch with a tank capacity of 27,000 litres. Coulson’s converted 737 tankers and C-130s drop more than 15,000 litres at a time.
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“They just don’t want it,” he said. “[The wildfire service] have their own ideas on how to fight fires, and they are the only place in the world who think that way.”
That, my friends is the most beautiful encapsulation of British Columbia governance I have ever heard.
She’s a beautiful ship she is. I remember seeing her back in the ’80’s when I flew into FIFT to refuel the H500 I was flying at the time.