The Coulson Group has signed a contract with the province of B.C. for the use of Mars waterbomber, according to CEO Wayne Coulson.
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Despite media reports Monday that Coulson had inked a deal with the province to restore the Mars to service, he said it would be inaccurate to say a contract is in place.
“The earliest we told them is most likely a Thursday start depending how many days they take to decide”.
The provincial government is in talks with the owners of the Martin Mars water bomber as the current wildfire situation in the province continues to increase.
Criticism of the government’s refusal to launch the Hawaii Mars has continued this summer – especially from Sproat Lake residents, who are watching the Dog Mountain forest fire grow seemingly unhindered by the province’s suppression efforts.
“It’s an iconic resource, it is old”, he said.
According to the province, the Martin Mars is more limited in the types of fires it can fight and the bodies of water it can operate from. It’s not the most cost-effective and it can only be used in very strategic situations.
PORT ALBERNI, B.C. – The owner of the iconic, red-and-white Martin Mars water bomber says the British Columbia government has agreed to add the flying tanker to its wildfire-fighting arsenal.
“We’ll have to see, if it does return, where it’s going to be used and what its effectiveness is going to be”.
The four-engine plane has the largest capacity of any water bomber in the world at 27,000 litres.
A similar petition to put the water bomber back in service was sent to Christy Clark past year, but nothing resulted from it. The Coastal Fire Centre says that blaze has now destroyed an uninhabited cabin. That fire is estimated to be 96 hectares in size and is believed to be human-caused.
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The province has already burned through its $60-million wildfire budget with months of hot, dry weather still to come.
