Vermont Deploys Army Skycrane to Fight Williston Fire—It's Effective and Expensive
The Williston fire was a successful proof-of-concept for this new firefighting strategy, demonstrating a new level of preparedness for a future prediction of more frequent and intense fire seasons.
When a massive, bright red helicopter appeared in the skies over Williston on October 4th, 2025, dropping colossal amounts of water on a fire burning on Brownell Mountain, it left many Vermonters with two big questions: Where did that come from, and why is it here?
The answer is a story about a historic drought, a new and aggressive strategy for protecting our region, and what this means for the future of firefighting in a changing climate. This is everything you need to know to fully understand the issue.
A Tinderbox in the Green Mountains: The 2025 Drought
The decision to bring in a heavy-lift helicopter, a tool rarely seen in New England, wasn’t made in a vacuum. It was a direct response to a severe and historic drought that turned our famously lush landscape into a tinderbox. 🍂
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, the situation in late 2025 was unprecedented. For a record-setting five consecutive weeks, the entire state of Vermont was under some level of drought. Nearly a quarter of the state was classified under “Extreme Drought,” with another 70% under “Severe Drought.”
This wasn’t just a matter of brown lawns. The tangible impacts were severe:
Record-low streamflow and plummeting groundwater levels were reported across the region.
Farmers suffered devastating losses, with some estimating damages up to $800,000 as they were forced to haul water and sell off livestock.
The dry conditions created an extreme fire danger. According to Vermont’s State Forest Fire Supervisor, Dan Dillner, a deep layer of freshly fallen, uncompacted leaves provided a huge amount of fuel, allowing a fire to grow with frightening speed.
The threat became so acute that on September 22, 2025, both Vermont and New Hampshire issued statewide bans on open burning. The situation was clear: the fire risk in our forests had reached a critical level.
A “Water Truck” in the Sky: The Sikorsky Skycrane
In response to this growing threat, the U.S. Forest Service took a proactive and highly unusual step: they pre-positioned a Type 1 heavy-lift helicopter at the Lebanon Municipal Airport in New Hampshire. As the chief of the New Hampshire Forest Protection Bureau, Steve Sherman, stated, this was the first time such a resource had been stationed in the state since 1995.
This helicopter is a civilian version of the legendary Sikorsky CH-54 Tarhe, a military workhorse from the Vietnam War era. Now known as the S-64 Air Crane®, it has been extensively modified for firefighting. Its capabilities are staggering:
Capacity: It can hold 2,650 gallons of water in a fixed tank.
Refill Speed: Using a specialized “Hover Snorkel,” it can refill that massive tank in just 45 seconds from a water source only 18 inches deep.
Delivery Rate: It can drop more than 25,000 gallons of water per hour on a fire.
Despite its power, the crew that operates it sees the machine as a support tool. As co-pilot Tim Lintz aptly put it, “We really can’t put out a fire by ourselves. We’re just a water truck.” This perspective is key to understanding its role in the Williston fire.
Why Containment Was the Only Option on Brownell Mountain
When fire broke out on Brownell Mountain, the Williston Fire Department and mutual aid crews faced immense challenges. The fire was burning in steep, inaccessible terrain, and daylight was fading fast, making a ground assault incredibly dangerous and difficult. That’s when the call for the Skycrane was made.
But the helicopter’s job wasn’t to put the fire out entirely. Its mission was containment.
According to Vermont Wildland Fire Specialist Devin Healy, who was on the scene, the soils were so dry that water dropped from the air couldn’t fully extinguish the deep-seated heat of the fire. Instead, the strategy was to use the thousands of gallons of water “to hold the fire in its footprint to prevent it from growing.”
Essentially, the helicopter’s water drops bought precious time for the 35 firefighters on the ground. By halting the fire’s spread overnight, it kept the blaze at a manageable one-acre size. This allowed ground crews to safely run a half-mile of hose up the mountain the next day to fully extinguish the smoldering fire. The helicopter was the force multiplier that made the ground crews’ dangerous job safer and ultimately successful.
The $10,000-Per-Hour Question: Who Pays?
This capability comes at a steep price, and understanding who foots the bill is crucial. The arrangement is a partnership between federal, state, and private entities.
Who owns the helicopter? A private company, Siller Helicopters, owns and operates the aircraft.
Who pays for it to be on standby? The U.S. Forest Service pays the significant cost of keeping the helicopter and crew ready in Lebanon. This is a federal expense, primarily to protect federal lands like the Green Mountain National Forest.
Who paid for its use in Williston? Because the Brownell Mountain fire was on state/private land, the State of Vermont is billed for the operational cost. According to State Forest Fire Supervisor Dan Dillner, that cost is approximately $10,000 per hour.
The decision to deploy the helicopter is not made lightly. The local fire chief initiates the request, but the final order must be approved by the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation, which weighs the high cost against the risk of a fire getting out of control.
The New Reality for Vermonters: What You Need to Know
The Williston fire was a successful proof-of-concept for this new firefighting strategy. It demonstrates a new level of preparedness for what climate trends suggest will be more frequent and intense fire seasons. But it also comes with a critical public responsibility.
A Critical Warning to Drone Warriors: If You Fly, They Can’t
Fire officials have issued an urgent plea to the public: NEVER fly a personal drone near a wildfire.
According to federal safety regulations, if an unauthorized aircraft—including a hobbyist drone—is spotted in the airspace over a fire, all aerial firefighting operations must immediately shut down. A mid-air collision would be catastrophic for the pilots and the expensive aircraft.
The consequence is severe: a single person trying to get a better photo could ground the most powerful tool firefighters have. This action could directly lead to a small fire becoming a major disaster, putting homes, resources, and lives at far greater risk. The message is simple: when you see a fire, keep your drone on the ground.
Ultimately, the Skycrane over the Green Mountains is a powerful symbol of adaptation. Its presence is a direct acknowledgment that our climate is changing, and we must change with it. The successful, coordinated response in Williston shows that we can meet these new challenges, but it will require new tools, new costs, and a renewed sense of public responsibility from all Vermonters.