Recently, Indian Air Force’s MI 17 V5 helicopter was deployed to extinguish the raging forest fires in Nainital district, Uttarakhand.
- The helicopter used a “Bambi Bucket” to collect water from Bhimtal lake, located near Nainital, and pour it over the burning forests.
- Bambi Bucket, also known as helicopter bucket or a helibucket, was invented by Don Arney, a Canadian business, in 1982.
- Bambi Bucket is a specialised aerial firefighting tool which has been in use since the 1980s.
- It is essentially a lightweight collapsible container that releases water from underneath a helicopter to targeted areas.
- The water is released by using a pilot-controlled valve. One of its key features is that it can be quickly and easily filled.
- The bucket can be filled from various sources, including lakes and swimming pools, which allows firefighters to swiftly refill it and return to the target area.
