County aerial firefighting resources arrive just in time

On September 26, 2008 Los Angeles County Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman, joined by Supervisor Yaroslavsky and other officials, presented a display of airborne firefighting resources available to the County for the 2008 Fire Season. The LA County Fire Department’s Air Operations Section has a fleet composed of three Sikorsky Firehawk Type I helicopters (1,000-gallon tank, crew of 14, ground- or hover-fill from numerous water sites), six Bell 412 Type II helicopters, two SuperScooper fixed wing planes leased from the Province of Quebec, Canada (1,620 gallon tanks), and one Sikorsky Helitanker leased from Erickson Air-Crane Incorporated (2,200-gallon tank); as well as “Helicopter 10,” a Bell 412 that acts as Helicopter Coordinator.

helicopters

The SuperScoopers and the Sikorsky are leased during the high-risk fire season from September to December to augment our aerial firefighting resources. Each helicopter is configured for multiple missions. In addition to aerial firefighting, they perform EMS medical transport, search and rescue, hoist rescue, swiftwater and ocean rescue, fire crew transport, and night operations. Air Operations Section is comprised of 63 dedicated personnel who respond to approximately 1,600 calls for service every year.