The Province of Nova Scotia contracted four Air Tractor AT-802 water bombers and one Cessna Caravan Bird Dog from Forest Protection Limited to supplement the provinces wildfire crews. Based in Debert, these aircraft can manage drops and place retardant to control the forward spread of flames. I found myself with an hour to kill in this area, so drive by to take a look.

The $6.5million contract for these planes was announced on May 13. It will run until September 30 but can be extended if needed.

the Air Tractors primarily drop retardant, and need to be reloaded on the ground with pumps. The Debert airport has a refilling setup established with a water supply and tanks for mixing retardant.