Ventura County has been beefing up its aviation unit during the last few years, replacing some firefighting helicopters dating back to the Vietnam War Era. Now, just in time for peak fire season, the county is getting some extra help.
A utility company is paying for a command helicopter, and three large air helitankers to be on standby in Southern California, including one stationed at Camarillo Airport.
“This the second year we are a part of this funded by Southern California Edison, working with Coulson Aviation,” said Ventura County Fire Captain Jeff Seabrook.
He’s manager of the County’s Aviation Unit. Seabrook says the Sikorski S-61helitanker in Ventura County will provide a big backup to the county’s half dozen helicopters. It can carry a thousand gallons of water or fire retardant at a time.
Read more on this post at KCLU.com
