The Conference is organized by Tangent Link in association with: Fire Aviation Working Group, United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Response (UN-ISDR) Wildland Fire Advisory Group and Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC)

Canada and the United States of America are confronted annually by wildfire with rising summer temperatures now provoking an escalation in boreal forest fires.

2009 has been the most active wildfire season for Canada since 2003 but the cost and damage reported has been less due to a well-managed ground and aerial response and successful fire management policy. This considerable experience will be shared at the Aerial Firefighting Conference taking place at the Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel, British Columbia on 16/17 March 2010.

Aerial Firefighting plays a vital role in delivering a successful fire control, and management system across North America, particularly the Pacific coastal region, where wildfires do not recognize country borders and where international partnerships and collaborations are necessary to provide effective wildfire aerial suppression.

The Aerial Firefighting Conference is the world’s leading conference and exhibition in this subject and is being held in Canada for the first time bringing the world’s experts together to address the issues of aerial suppression on a global scale. Showcased so far in Greece, USA, Australia and Italy - some of the countries most blighted by wildfire - the lessons learned are presented at each event from the world’s leading aerial suppression exponents and fire management agencies.

The Keynote Address will be provided by Brian Simpson, Director of Fire Programme, British Columbia, and the programme will include subjects like:
* Command, Control, Communications & Intelligence (C3i)
* Communications - Ground-to-Air, Air-to-Air
* Air Attack Operations Mapping
* Real-time Forest Fire Detection Systems
* Live Data Fusion

Safety Risk Management & Maintenance
* Industry Best Practices
* Safe Tactics - Automated Flight Following
* Safety Management
* Operational Loads Monitoring for Air Tankers
* Managing Risk in Aerial Fire Fighting
* The Solution to Aging Pilots
* Heavy Maintenance
* Liability

New Aerial Firefighting Techniques, Technologies & Concepts
* Unmanned Vehicle Systems
* Night-time Aerial Fire Fighting Operations & Technologies
* Aerial Chemical Applications
* Aerial Ignition

A Panel Session will address the subjects of “Aerial Gel Applications & Ultra-Mobility while using chemicals”. Visitor Tours are being arranged to local Aerial Firefighting operations and training centers in the days preceding the event.