Many law enforcement and commercial operators' secondary missions require aviation flight crews to engage in aerial fire suppression operations on wildland, brush or grass fires using water or retardant delivery methods from the helicopter.

Helicopters are often fitted with either belly tanks or buckets. Both can be usually filled by submerging the bucket or snorkel in lakes, rivers, reservoirs, or portable tanks.

Priority 1 Air Rescue's Aerial Fire Suppression training course provides basic helicopter firefighting techniques, wildland fire behavior, operational flight safety considerations, maximizing water delivery, flight techniques, belly tank operational procedures, bambi bucket operational procedures, and drop procedures.

Actual flight training involves flight approaches to the water, HOGE water fill up procedures, take-offs with practice water drops.