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• Message from the CEO
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• Log Harvesting
• Safety Stats
• Forestry Engineering
• Mill Report
• Environmental Mgmt. & Fire
• Information Systems
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• Calendar

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By Paul Pashnik, EMS & Fire Suppression ManagerEnvironmental Management News

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

Coulson GroupISO14001 Environmental Management System (EMS)

·        SAI Global issues Coulson Aircrane Ltd’s helicopter Division and Coulson Flying Tanker an EMS ISO14001 Certificate of Registration – the certificate is valid for 3 years. This certificate of registration (copy printed in this edition of Log N Talk) confirms that through a very comprehensive 3^rd party registration audit, Coulson Aircrane’s aviation operations at the AlberniAirport and Sproat Lake Mars Fire Base and mobile field bases throughout the world meet the ISO14001:2004 environmental standard. Accordingly, our customers can be assured that the aviation services we provide will be conducted to a very high environmental standard.

Again, I would like to recognize Wayne Darlington, Roy Copeland, Paul Ryan, Jason Beaton, Ian Thomas, Klause Ridke and George Rose for their extra effort and dedication in having everything up to standard during the registration audit –  Also, a big thank you goes out to all Aircrane staff  for doing their work to the standards we subscribe to – a job well done!!

 

·        Timberlands EMS program – The next internal EMS audit involves the Timber Harvesting program and has been scheduled for Mid May 2009 – Ron Sorensen and I will be conducting the internal audit which is planned for the road building and timber harvesting operations at Stewardson Inlet audit. The annual Registrar’s surveillance audit has been confirmed and scheduled for the 3^rd week of June 2009.

 

AVIATION 2009 Fire Contracts - Coulson Aircrane Ltd   ·        Provincial Fire Agencieswithin Canada.  The  “Call When Needed” fire fighting contract offers for the 2009 Fire Season were sent to the Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta and BC Forest Service,  Fire Protection Branches.  Depending on the success of the S61 offer to the Government of Greece, it appears that we may only have one Bell 206 Helicopter and the Cessna 206 Amphibian fixed wing aircraft available for fire service in Canada.

 

·        US Forest Service Helicopter Bid Offers. We were successful in having CLM picked up under contract to work for the US Forest Service during 2009 Fire Season. This aircraft will be provided to the US Forest Service Interagency Fire Centre and will be based in California. The helicopter will be operated under a strategic alliance between Coulson Aircrane Ltd and ERA Helicopters LLC, of Lake Charles, Louisiana.

 

·        Coulson Flying Tankers US Forest Service Contract – I’m currently very busy assembling US Immigration work L1 visa applications for the Coulson Flying Tanker’s aircrew and ground support. The visa applications will involve 15 – 20 Aircrane and CFT workers. I will be working with Aircrane’s US Law office at Portland Oregon to ensure we comply with all US laws.

 

·        Greek Government – Hellenic Ministry of the Interior S61 Contract Offer – As I mentioned last month, I have been assisting Jim Messer in preparing a bid offer to supply S61 Helicopters to the Hellenic Ministry of the Interior Fire Brigade for the 2009 to 2011 fire seasons.

The final bid offer to the Hellenic Republic Ministry of the Interior is for one Sikorsky S61 capable of transporting fire fighters and equipped with a Coulson FT4000 belly tank. C-FMAY is the helicopter we have offered. As the bid closing date of April 23 was rapidly approaching, I ended up hand delivering the 3,000 page bid package to New York where  I met with Coulson Aircrane’s Greek business representative, Ms. Alexandra Potamianos of the Epirotiki Group. Alexandra is a Director on the Board of Epirotiki Group the Company representing Aircrane in Greece. Alexandra took the bid package with her on her return flight to Athens. At Athens, Alexandra had to translate key segments of Aircrane’s bid package into Greek, and then deposited the bid package with the Ministry of Interior prior to the bid closing deadline. 

We are waiting for a final award decision of the Government. If and or when a contract is signed, we expect it will take a minimum of 45 days to get the helicopter transported from Melbourne to Athens and ready for fire duty.

 

Paul Pashnik meeting in New York with Coulson Aircrane’s Greece business representative Alexandra Potamianos Board Director Epirotiki Group. Coulson Aircrane’s Hellenic Fire Brigade Bid Package was delivered at this meeting for transport to Athens.