GFMC Meetings Calendar 2020

Aerial Fire Fighting North America 2020

4 – 5 March 2019, Sacramento, California, U.S.A.

Advancing Tactics, Training and Technology

Tangent Link’s global Aerial Firefighting series returns to Sacramento for its biennial event in 2020. With a new CALFIRE Chief Thom Porter as well as new advanced aerial firefighting platforms entering into service, this year’s event focuses on a new chapter in North America’s Aerial Firefighting operations and response.

Workshops, thought leading presentations and case studies will debate key subjects including Tactics, Training and Technology, bringing together the very best minds in understanding the advances being made in this safety conscious profession.

Notable International Delegations at AFF North America 2020:

Director, CAL FIRE, USA
Director, Global Fire Monitoring Centre (GFMC), Germany
Division Chief, Orange County Fire Authority, USA
State Aviation Manager – California, Bureau of Land Management, USA
State Fire & Rescue Chief / Firescope Executive Director, CAL OES, USA
Chief Pilot, Government of Newfoundland Air Services Division, Canada
Commissioner, New South Wales Rural Fire Service (RFS), Australia
Aerial Firefighting Specialist, Sacramento City Fire Department, USA
Special Director, Directorate of Civil Protection, Norway
Associated Manager, NASA Airborne Science Program, NASA, USA
South America Wildfire Network Coordinator, Department for Interagency and Burning Control of Prevfogo, Brazil
Director, US Department of Interior – Office of Wildland Fire, USA
General Manager, National Aerial Firefighting Center, Australia
Senior Pilot, Safety Officer, Los Angeles County Fire Department, USA

For more information see:

Press release (26 February 2020)
Conference Agenda

The Walt Darran International AFF Award Nominations Now Open

The Walt Darran International Aerial Firefighting Awards are presented annually to recognise a significant contribution by an individual or organisation to aerial firefighting. The nomination process is now open!

The Awards were inaugurated in honour of the late Walt Darran, who was a pioneer and advocate for advances in aerial firefighting. Being a highly experienced S2-T airtanker pilot and former highly decorated US Navy aviator from California, USA, Walt was a constant and passionate advocate for safety and improvement in the international aerial firefighting community. Nominations are being accepted in two categories:

Contribution to Aerial Firefighting Safety
Industry Innovation and Advancement

To submit your nominations, please send the completed nomination forms to Kate Niven at kniven@tangentlink.com before 17th January 2020. The winners will be announced at the Aerial Firefighting North America Conference Dinner on 4th March 2020 in Sacramento, USA.

Post-conference publication:

Some visual impressions of AFFNA20:

Display of aerial assets of Cal Fire

This and following photos provide glimpses of conference sponsors and exhibitors

The evening of Day 1 ended at the Aerospace Museum of California, McClellan Air Force Base – the venue for handing over the Walt Darran International Aerial Firefighting Awards 2020

The Walt Darran International Aerial Firefighting Award 2020 for Safety in Aerial Firefighting was presented to Bill Moody
(eulogy above)

The Walt Darran International Aerial Firefighting Award 2020 for Industry Innovation & Advancement was presented posthumous to Larry Vandersall and handed over to his family.
(eulogy above)

Reports of previous AFF conferences:

Please see the web pages of the previous International Aerial Firefighting Conferences, including the conference reports:

19. December 2019/by GFMCadmin