Abstract: In order to effectively play the role of helicopter in forest aviation firefighting. The satellite remote sensing and GIS, NDWI and DEM were used to evaluate the distribution, water depth and maximum span of main water resources in Yunnan province. Combined with the performance parameters of AS-350B3 helicopter, the suitable area for mountain firefighting operation was quantitatively analyzed, and the visual subject map was made. The results show that the Yunnan Plateau has rich distribution of water resources, and the water depth and water surface geometric characteristics of most of the water area meet the requirements of AS-350B3 helicopter water intake operation, and the most suitable priority area for mountain firefighting is the mountainous area of the Central Yunnan Plateau, the mountainous area of southern Yunnan, and the alpine valley forest area with relatively small wind in the mountains of northwest Yunnan and northeast Yunnan. The method proposed in this study can effectively extract the water area and geometric characteristics of Yunnan, and scientifically evaluate the suitable area of AS-350B3 helicopter for water extraction operation in the forest area of Yunnan plateau, which has certain reference value for the deployment of forest aviation fire fighting in emergency management departments.

Key words: aviation firefighting, AS-350B3 helicopter, water intake analysis, water depth assessment, thematic map of fire suppression suitability