Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Anthony Marrone hosted media briefing Friday in which he and other officials showcased SuperScoopers, a Helitanker and other resources that will be crucial in the battle against future blazes.
The event at the Air Tanker Base at Van Nuys Airport marked the seasonal arrival of two SuperScoopers from Quebec.
A leased Coulson Group Chinook CH-47 helicopter known as a Helitanker 55 and the rest of the county fire department's fleet and aerial firefighting resources were also showcased.
Officials gave an update on the current wildfire season and an overview of the county fire department's "Ready! Set! Go!" program that aims to help residents prepare for safe, rapid evacuations when fire danger comes.
"The question everyone wants to answer is, are we going to have a repeat of what happened in January (when the deadly Eaton and Palisades fires tore through Altadena and Pacific Palisades)?" asked Marrone. "The forecast is for higher fire potential in Los Angeles County."
While fire season is now widely considered to be year-round in Southern California, the hottest weather typically comes in August and September.
Also Friday, California announced it has joined the Northwest Wildland Fire Protection Agreement, a compact created in 1998 that is one of eight of its kind operating across North America.
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California and Nevada join the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Yukon Territory, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories and British Columbia and the U.S. states Alaska, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Montana and Hawaii.
The compact promotes "effective prevention, suppression and control of forest fires in the Northwest wildland region of the United States and Western areas of Canada," according to a news release announcing that California and Nevada have joined. "It provides an efficient way for member states, provinces and territories to cope with wildland fires that might be beyond the capabilities of a single member agency, through information sharing, technology and resource distribution."
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