# Airship will drop fire retardant **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 18, 2013, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airship-will-drop-fire-retardant/663843 "2013-07-18T14:33:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airship-will-drop-fire-retardant/663843/1 "2013-07-18T14:33:36Z")
There’s a fire burning about 40 miles from here. The news said that fire retardant would be dropped on it. The text on the image said ‘An airship will drop fire retardant.’ That would be something to see, eh? A zeppelin flying over a forest fire, dropping fire retardant! But how would it deal with the rising air currents? (Of course, the probably meant ‘air_craft_’, not ‘air_ship_’. But it made for a nice mental image. 😛 ) ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airship-will-drop-fire-retardant/663843/2 "2013-07-18T15:12:14Z")
Also, how would they position it directly over the fire? They’re not that maneuverable in higher winds are they? With other aircraft? Would it be a lead zeppelin? ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airship-will-drop-fire-retardant/663843/3 "2013-07-18T15:31:54Z")
There are no reported large fires burning in [Washington State near your location](http://www.inciweb.org/state/49/). That means no federal assets so no large fire support, including air support. If the fire is state-managed, any air support will be small aircraft, probably single-engine. Airships (in the traditional sense of the word) are not used for fire-fighting in the US. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airship-will-drop-fire-retardant/663843/4 "2013-07-18T15:49:43Z")
Yes, I know that airships are not used for firefighting. That’s why I found it funny. 😉 [The fire is near Mount Vernon](http://www.king5.com/news/local/Wildfire-Mount-Vernon-215989001.html). > [@](#): > > An airship was being called in to drop fire retardant on a wildfire near Mount Vernon… > > The airship was expected between 8:30 and 9 a.m. When it happens, traffic was expected to be stopped on northbound SR 9 at Big Lake Road and southbound SR 9 at Big Rock Roundabout. I suspect that the ‘airship’ is a Huey with a bucket. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airship-will-drop-fire-retardant/663843/5 "2013-07-18T16:15:09Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Yes, I know that airships are not used for firefighting. That’s why I found it funny. 😉 > > [The fire is near Mount Vernon](http://www.king5.com/news/local/Wildfire-Mount-Vernon-215989001.html). > I suspect that the ‘airship’ is a Huey with a bucket. Looking at the photo, only a helicopter could get in and do it. Might not be a Huey. There are several types of choppers that could do it. A [chopper with a bucket](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRDmdeidLNo) requires nearby ground support. [One of these doesn’t](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbJjYQJhHkg) as long as there is a nearby water supply available. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airship-will-drop-fire-retardant/663843/6 "2013-07-18T17:06:09Z")
Hopefully the airship is not filled with hydrogen… Brian ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airship-will-drop-fire-retardant/663843/7 "2013-07-18T17:11:01Z")
Oh, the humidity!