SEI recently attended Helitech 2010 in Cascais, Portugal for the second consecutive time since this worthwhile conference and tradeshow event started in 2008. The Helitech (Portugal) event is very unique in that it offers participants a chance to observe a live aerial firefighting demonstration on an active fire set on piles of brush laid out on the infield of the local Aerodrome immediately adjacent to the tradeshow facility. Hundreds of people witnessed Helibravo flying two B3 helicopters demonstrating high levels of pilot skill to dip from water-filled relay tanks and dropping thousands of litres of water on the raging demonstration fire.

The Bambi Bucket flew demonstrations on each of the two-day event showing the audience how almost 30 years of product evolution results in the world’s most reliable and trusted helicopter water bucket. The SEI Industries booth supported by local agent, Globalterra was very busy with local and other European helicopter operators interested to learn more about Bambi Bucket features including PowerfillT, unlimited drop capability, drop tracking/data logging and the latest R&D projects underway. The three principal operators involved in aerial firefighting in Portugal, namely Helibravo, EMA and HTA Helicopters looked to SEI Industries to bolster their Bambi Bucket fleets with new purchases to replace older Bambi Buckets that saw significant usage through the past several fire seasons in Portugal.

Portuguese operators reported that their Bambi Buckets worked very well to confront thousands of hectares of wildfire this past fire season and the recent orders at the show are a reflection of their on-going satisfaction with the product support and customer service that comes with the world’s most trusted and reliable helicopter firefighting bucket – Bambi Bucket. “During the operations with Bambi Bucket done by HTA Helicopters over the last years, the performance of the Bambi Bucket has proven to be highly reliable.” João Paulo Batalha, HTA Helicopters. According to Helibravo, Portugal’s largest aerial firefighting helicopter operator, “Regarding the use of the Bambi Bucket from SEI Industries, we can say that it satisfies all of our operational needs, without any impact to safety; it is reliable, agile and maintains all efficiency levels.”

About SEI Industries
SEI Industries is a world leading manufacturer supporting emergency and remote site operations worldwide. Best known for the world famous, industry-proven Bambi Bucket® for aerial firefighting, SEI Industries also manufactures fire ignition equipment offering innovative tools to prescribed fire and land management industry with the DragonT Fire Ignition product line. SEI Industies is also a global leader in building equipment to support both civilian and military operations in remote sites that require fuel and liquid storage and transport capabilities.