![\"BambiBucket1.png\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/BambiBucket1.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nMEDIA NOTE: Please click on the image above to play video of the mission.\u00a0BSFR personnel who handled this call will be available for interviews today, Friday, Jan. 30, at 11:30 a.m. at Pompano Beach\u00a0Airpark. The location is 931 N.E. 10th Street, hangar 18. Please RSVP to mediarelations@sheriff.org.<\/p>\n
The Broward Sheriff\u2019s Office Fire Rescue Aviation Unit successfully completed its first aerial firefighting mission this past Tuesday using its newly commissioned Eurocopter EC145 helicopter.<\/p>\n
At approximately 12 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 27, a recreational tour boat operator reported a brush fire near mile marker 46 along I-75 in the western section of the Everglades Wildlife Management Area. In response, Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue deployed both waterborne airboat teams and its aviation unit to the scene. Upon arrival, crews discovered a rapidly spreading brush fire covering an area roughly the size of a football field.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Coordinated efforts between ground and air units quickly escalated into a targeted suppression operation utilizing the helicopter\u2019s Bambi Bucket system\u2014an advanced aerial firefighting tool capable of carrying and releasing nearly 200 gallons of water with precision accuracy.<\/p>\n
The helicopter crew, consisting of one pilot and two flight medics cross-trained as firefighters and paramedics, conducted multiple water drops over a two-hour period. Thousands of gallons of water, sourced from a nearby canal, were deployed to fully extinguish the fire and prevent further environmental damage.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis mission demonstrates the critical value of our aviation capabilities in emergency response,\u201d Sheriff Dr. Gregory Tony said. \u201cThe ability to engage fires from the air gives us a powerful advantage in protecting the environment and public safety across Broward County.\u201d<\/p>\n
BSO received two Eurocopter EC145 aircraft \u2013 one each in December 2024 and May 2025 \u2013 to support our aerial fleet. Following specialized airborne firefighting training completed in September 2025, this operation marks the unit\u2019s first live deployment in that capacity.<\/p>\n
Beyond firefighting, the BSO Aviation Unit remains at the forefront of emergency medical response. The unit recently earned distinction as one of the first in Florida to deliver and administer whole blood transfusions directly to trauma and medical patients in flight\u2014further extending lifesaving capabilities to the skies above Broward County.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n THIS REPORT BY:
Battalion Chief Michael Kane\/BSFR PIO<\/p>\n
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