7:28 p.m. PT February 20, 2022
Coulson CH-47 helicopter dropping at night. SCE photo.The Quick Reaction Force of Coulson helicopters that fought wildfires in Southern California in 2021 is back this year. It is comprised of two CH-47 helitankers that can each carry up to 3,000 gallons of water or retardant; a Sikorsky 61 with a 1,000-gallon capacity; a Sikorsky 76 intelligence and recon helicopter; and a mobile retardant base that can actively mix up to 18,000 gallons of fire retardant per hour.
In 2021 the fleet:
- Flew for 433 hours;
- Made total of 1,836 drops on more than 50 separate fire incidents;
- Dropped 2,607,496 gallons of water, with 28% being at night; and
- Dropped 123,455 gallons of fire retardant, 19% dropped at night.
Coulson CH-47 helicopter. SCE photo.Southern California Edison (SCE) contributed $18 million last year to lease the firefighting equipment in a partnership with the Orange County Fire Authority, Los Angeles County Fire Department, and Ventura County Fire Department.
All four of the helicopters can fight fires at night, dropping water or fire retardant.
“The combination of night-flying capabilities — night hovering, night-time filling of retardant and dropping — is what is remarkable and unique,” said Troy Whitman of SCE and a 29-year veteran of fire management. “Taking the full extent of aerial firefighting and going nocturnal is unprecedented anywhere in the world.”
UPDATE Feb. 20, 2022: Orange County Fire Authority Chief Brian Fennessy told Fire Aviation that the four helicopters are scheduled to be on contract for 165 days this year, July 1 through December 12. Coulson has contractual obligations in Australia and South America beginning in mid-December.
Their bases:
- Orange County S-76, Fullerton Airport
- Orange County CH-47, Chino Airport
- Los Angeles County, CH-47, Van Nuys Airport
- Ventura County S-61, Camarillo Airport
5 Comments
Anyone know of any data or non-anecdotal information on the effectiveness of this Quick Reaction Force during Initial Attack of fires? The concept seems valid, just curious how much it contributed to keeping fires from escaping Initial Attack.
I’m looking forward to more details about where (and ETA) the Coulson HT-47 (CH-47 Chinook, 3,000 gallon) helitanker will be assigned. In 2021 it was initially at Los Alamitos Army Airfield (KSLI)/Joint Forces Training Base (National Guard) in Orange County, southern California, about 1/2 mile east of my home. It was moved 36 miles to Riverside County shortly before heading north on fires. Though the recent Laguna Beach wildland fire was stopped at 150 acres, HT-47 could have made a big difference in its short 30 mile response time from LAAAF. I’m retired from the contracted department, Orange County Fire Authority, but my ‘sources’ haven’t helped… so far.
Greg, I just added this to the article:
Orange County Fire Authority Chief Brian Fennessy told Fire Aviation that the four helicopters are scheduled to be on contract for 165 days this year, July 1 through December 12. Coulson has contractual obligations in Australia and South America beginning in mid-December.
Their bases:
Orange County S-76, Fullerton Airport
Orange County CH-47, Chino Airport
Los Angeles County, CH-47, Van Nuys Airport
Ventura County S-61, Camarillo Airport
Thanks, Bill! Much appreciated, I’ll share with others.
Having spent 41 years in the Fire Service, four years U.S. Air Force and 37 years Los Angeles City Fire Dept (LAFD). I have seen many innovations over the decades that has changed the way fire fighting has evolved.
The advent of the Quick Reaction Force (QRF) is the most compelling contribution to “wild land” fire fighting I or anyone else in the fire service has ever seen. The first time I had heard of or seen video of the Quick Reaction Force was on 60 Minutes (CBS) a few months ago.
I own a home in the Lake Tahoe area and became very interested in why the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and Cal Fire where so reluctant to use the QRF during the CALDOR fire that struck the area south of South Lake Tahoe. This past Spring I struck up a few conversations with a couple of members of Cal Fire and a former Captain of the LAFD Helicopter Section. The short story of these conversations is the USFS, to this day, uses antiquated strategy and tactics. They are slow to change. Cal Fire is responsible for fires on/in state owned land and USFS in Federal controlled land mass. The two collide. However the two agencies do support each other through Mutual Aid agreements.
The forest in the Sierra Nevada Mountains are desperately missed managed. There are at least ten to twenty per cent of dead trees in the Lake Tahoe basin. The dead trees need to be cleaned out. Money is not the issue. The State of California has billions in surplus funds and the Feds have “Grant Money”.
The “Camp Fire” that nearly destroyed the towns of Paradice and Concow California in November of 2018 was the most expensive natural disaster in the world at a total cost of $16.65 billion. Antiquated and slow strategy and tactics is not the answer in these times of ten year drought.
The U.S. military probably has a few more CH-47 helicopters to sell or donate.
There is an old saying in the fire service, “LEAD, FOLLOW OR GET OUT OF THE WAY”.
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