OUR CREW

The Central Oregon Rappellers are a 27-person initial attack crew hosted by the Ochoco National Forest in Prineville, Oregon. As one of twelve helicopter rappel crews in the U.S. Forest Service, we specialize in the aerial delivery of firefighters to remote wildfires inaccessible by ground forces, especially in forested, mountainous terrain lacking adequate helispots. In addition to our primary responsibility as an IA resource, we are capable of performing the full range of logistical and aviation duties of a conventional helitack program.

 

Our aircraft platform is a National Type 1 rappel helicopter, the AS332 Super Puma, newly introduced to the rappel program in 2024. Each summer, our crew and aircraft provide IA capability and logistical support to incidents within our local unit in Central Oregon and neighboring National Forests and National Parks. The crew also pre-positions across the country for initial attack and high-priority wildfires. Our firefighters are active within multiple Incident Management Teams as Operations Section Chief, Division Group Supervisor, Air Operation Branch Director, Air Support Group Supervisor, and Helibase Manager.

 

We are based at the Prineville Airport, which is centrally located within our multi-agency home unit, Central Oregon Fire Management Service (COFMS). Our response area therefore includes a diverse range of fuel types, from the dry grasslands and prairies of central and eastern Oregon to the dense, coniferous forests of the Cascade Crest. On any given day, we could wind up swatting out miles of fireline in the John Day River canyon, or calling in bucket drops on a torching hemlock along the Pacific Crest Trail.