Firefighters in Orange County will soon be better equipped to address brush fires and life-saving missions.
KNX News' Pete Demetriou reports that two of the Orange County Fire Authority's four helicopters were 1966 vintage Super Hueys with aging airframes and a degrading ability to drop water.
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Now Orange County Fire Assistant Chief Tim Perkins says adding two S-70 FIREHAWK to the fleet dramatically enhances their ability to put out fires and operate in extreme conditions.
"The FIREHAWK offers 1,000 gallons of water-dropping capability. The aircraft is much safer with the two engines that give us a lot more power to work at a higher elevation at a temperature far superior than what we were using in the past," said Perkins.
The aircraft's combined cost of $58 million isn't cheap, but given their projected lifespan of 20 years plus, it's a bargain, especially if their rapid deployment feature allows them to save multimillion-dollar homes from going up in flames.
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