Helicopters play an important role in fire fighting activities on Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, as well as on public lands elsewhere in the U.S.

Dianne MacLean, Assistant Fire Management Officer for Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, recently helped restructure a key national training course (S-372) for helicopter managers - both for fire and non-fire use.  Since the Fish and Wildlife Service doesn't own or directly operate rotary aircraft, and because of the inherent risks and complexities of operating helicopters, special training is necessary to ensure safe and effective operations in the field for special missions.  Major course improvements include instructor guides, powerpoint presentations, exercises, and a section on calculating helicopter loads.  Ms. MacLean is the Refuge's Helicopter Manager and shared her talent with the national team revamping the training course.  She is also chair of the national Interagency Helicopter Operations Working Group.