Steve Daniels has joined Simplex as vice president of sales and marketing. A seasoned helicopter salesman who was ousted as CEO of Enstrom last year, Daniels will head sales activities at the Portland, Ore.-based firefighting equipment developer and expand its marketing network.

Before joining Enstrom, Daniels spent nine years at Kaman, where he was director of sales and marketing for the K-Max program. A former U.S. Army pilot with more than 10,000 hours in helicopters, Daniels is well regarded for his experience in the utility helicopter market and for his sales and marketing expertise.

“There’s a growing demand for the fixed firefighting installations that Simplex builds,” he told AIN, “and also a more professional approach to the problem. Forest services are offering three-year contracts now for an operator to be on call, so they can afford to invest in proper belly tanks. People are also moving out into rural and more fire-prone areas, and they need to be protected properly. It also means that smaller helicopters with underslung buckets have less freedom of action since they are not allowed to fly over populated areas.

“Fires are becoming a fact of life in many areas of the world, and my job is to make sure that the Simplex name gets known everywhere there’s a risk.”