Context:
Recently, the Indian Air Force’s helicopter was deployed to extinguish the raging forest fires in Nainital district, Uttarakhand.
About the Bambi Bucket:
- The helicopter used a “Bambi Bucket”, also known as a helicopter bucket or a helibucket, to collect water from Bhimtal Lake, located near Nainital, and poured it over the burning forests.
- Bambi Bucket is a specialized aerial firefighting tool.
- It was invented by Don Arney, a Canadian businessman, in 1982.
- In 2017, Arney was inducted into the Inventors Hall of Fame for the invention of the Bambi Bucket.
- Now, Bambi Bucket is being used in more than 115 countries around the world.
Advantages:
- It discharges a solid column of water, “resulting in a more accurate and effective water dump, less evaporation on the descent, and greater impact force.
- It is a lightweight collapsible container that releases water from underneath a helicopter to targeted areas.
- 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.
- It is available in a variety of sizes and models, with capacities ranging from 270 liters to more than 9,840 liters.
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