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A friend has sent you a link to an article found on FlatheadBeacon.com. To read the full text of this article online, click here: http://www.flatheadbeacon.com/articles/article/battle_over_chopper_safaty_hindered_firefighting/1500/ ARTICLE EXCERPT: Firefighting operations in Montana during the 2006 and 2007 fire seasons were seriously disrupted by several helicopter safety incidents – including a "life-threatening" one involving the state’s chief pilot – and a bitter conflict among state fire managers over whether and how to address them, according to internal government documents obtained by the Beacon. The documents detail an August 2006 incident in which Chuck Brenton, the chief pilot for the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, allegedly endangered the lives of fire and aviation crewmembers working on the Bearmouth fire outside of Missoula, according to a written complaint from a state aviation supervisor. The suspicion and mistrust engendered in part by this event set the scene for further conflict during the 2007 fire season, when Missoula-based fire crews were ordered to stay off state aircraft for a month due to safety concerns. Related: Excerpts From Interviews and Government Documents