During peak wildfire season, the mobile retardant base will be positioned close to fires in predetermined locations in each county. A Sikorsky S-76 intelligence and recon helicopter helps guide the tankers at night, while a mobile retardant base provides up to 18,000 gallons of mixed retardant per hour. This year, the Quick Reaction Force has added an additional Chinook helitanker to its lineup, bringing the total to three. Wouldn't it be great if we had a surge capacity? Wouldn't it be great if we could drop retardant at night when the fixed-wing air tankers all have to fly back because it's gotten dark?" "Even though we had very robust initial attack response - lots of engines, bulldozers, hand crews, helicopters, air tankers - sometimes it wasn't enough. ![]() He noted that about two-thirds of California's population resides in Orange, Ventura and L.A. "We talked about, what could we do that maybe would be a little different, that maybe would have a lot of impact in our communities here in Southern California?" said Orange County Fire Authority Chief Brian Fennessy. The ability to fly at night, aided by night vision googles and other instruments, allows crews to continue dropping water or retardant to slow a blaze - and to gather data about a fire's size and growth - all night long. Until recently, many aerial fire crews could fly only during the day - an operational limitation that has been problematic in such blazes as the 2010 Station fire, which was responsible for the deaths of two firefighters and stands today as the largest wildfire in Los Angeles County history. Previously, it was active only during peak fire season in the second half of the calendar year. "What sets the QRF helitankers apart is the game-changing ability to drop water or gel or fire retardant both day and night," Marrone said, adding that this is the first year the force will be available all year long. The force, which has been funded by Southern California Edison since 2021, is designed to respond to wildfires 24 hours a day. Marrone had gathered with officials from the Ventura County Fire Department and the Orange County Fire Authority on Monday to demonstrate the helitankers, part of a cooperative fleet of aircraft, pilots and support crew known as the Quick Reaction Force. This vegetation will be dried out and become explosive fuel, which will result in rapid wildfire spread." ![]() "We can expect the risk of wildfires to grow, especially given the increased vegetation and the habitat that's grown following a wet winter and spring. "As we get deeper into the fire season and this summer, we're going to be approaching fall when the Santa Ana winds will return," Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Anthony Marrone said. ![]() County firefighters watch as a fleet of firefighting helitankers, known as Quick Reaction Force (QRF), give a demonstration.
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