Quick answers
What is a Bambi Bucket?
A light, collapsible bucket hung under a helicopter. It is filled with water and releases it on a fire through a valve the pilot controls. It is also called a helicopter or heli bucket.
Who invented the Bambi Bucket and when?
Canadian inventor Don Arney, in 1982, to replace rigid buckets that were inefficient and often failed.
Why is a Bambi Bucket better than a rigid water bucket?
It folds up and travels inside the helicopter, and it lets water out as a solid column, so drops are more accurate, less water evaporates on the way down and it lands with more force.
Has India used Bambi Buckets on forest fires?
Yes. In April 2024 the Indian Air Force used a Mi-17 V5 helicopter with a Bambi Bucket against forest fires near Nainital, filling it from Naini and Bhimtal lakes.
Where is a Bambi Bucket refilled?
From lakes or even swimming pools near the fire, so the helicopter can get back to the fire quickly.
When a forest fire is burning on a steep hillside that no fire tender can reach, a helicopter with a Bambi Bucket hanging below it is often the quickest way to get water onto the flames. You may have seen the pictures from the hills: a big bucket swinging under a helicopter, filled from a lake and emptied over a burning ridge.
What is a Bambi Bucket?
A Bambi Bucket, also called a helicopter bucket or heli bucket, is a light, collapsible container slung under a helicopter. It has been used in aerial firefighting since the 1980s. Three things make it useful.
- Controlled drops. The pilot works a valve that lets the water out exactly where it is needed.
- Quick refills. It can be filled quickly from a lake or even a swimming pool, so the helicopter gets back to the fire fast.
- Many sizes. According to the material this article is based on, models range from 270 litres to more than 9,840 litres.
Where it came from
Canadian inventor Don Arney came up with the Bambi Bucket in 1982. The water buckets helicopters carried before were rigid, wasteful and often failed. Arney’s design changed two things.
- Easy to carry. Old rigid buckets had to be trucked or flown in separately. The Bambi Bucket folds up and travels inside the helicopter until it is needed.
- Better drops. It lets the water out as a solid column rather than a spray. That means more accurate drops, less water lost to evaporation on the way down and more force where it lands.
The same material says it is now used in more than 115 countries by over 1,000 helicopter operators. We have not been able to check these figures against an independent source.
Bambi Bucket use in India
In April 2024, when forest fires in Nainital district reached the edge of the town, the Indian Air Force sent in a Mi-17 V5 helicopter for what it called “Bambi Bucket Ops”. The helicopter filled the bucket from Naini and Bhimtal lakes and dropped the water on the burning forest, The Tribune reported on 27 April 2024. Boating on the lakes was halted while it worked.
What a helicopter can and cannot do
Aerial drops slow a forest fire down and cool the hottest spots, but ground crews still have to put it out. A helicopter also has to stop its drops if drones are flying nearby. So never wait for one if a fire is moving towards your village. Leave early.
If you live or trek near a forest
- Report smoke early to the forest department, 112 or 101, and give the nearest village or landmark.
- Clear dry leaves and grass from around homes, sheds and fodder stacks.
- Keep the village water tank or pond accessible for firefighters.
- Never fly a drone near a forest fire, and never stand under a helicopter’s path to film it. Falling water is heavy enough to hurt people.
- Never leave a campfire or a bidi burning in the forest.
What needs attention
- A Bambi Bucket is a collapsible bucket slung under a helicopter that scoops water and drops it on a fire
- Its pilot-controlled valve lets the crew drop water in a column on a chosen spot
- It can be refilled from lakes, rivers or tanks near the fire, which saves flying time
- Aerial drops slow a forest fire, but ground crews still have to put it out
- People on the ground near a drop zone can be hurt by the weight of falling water
Controls that reduce risk
- Report a forest fire early to the forest department, 112 or 101 with the nearest village or landmark
- Clear dry leaves and grass from around homes, sheds and fodder stacks near forests
- Keep a water tank or pond near the village accessible for firefighters
- Agree a meeting point and escape route for the village before the fire season
- Follow forest department advisories during the dry months
Common unsafe practices
- Flying drones near a forest fire; helicopters may have to stop drops
- Standing under or near a helicopter's flight path to watch or film
- Lighting fires to clear dry leaves or stubble near forests in the dry season
- Waiting for a helicopter instead of leaving early when a forest fire is close
- Crowding roads that fire tenders and forest staff need
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