Under a new contract with Southern California Edison, a fleet of firefighting helitankers, pilots and support crews, known as the Quick Reaction Force, will continue to suppress wildfires across Southern California through the rest of the year. Southern California Edison has sponsored the Quick Reaction Force since 2021.

“The Quick Reaction Force has demonstrated its effectiveness and value in suppressing potentially large and destructive wildfires. While we continue to talk about wildfires in the context of seasons, we know this hazard is with us year-round and our approach to wildfire mitigation assumes that there is no offseason,” said Steven Powell, president and CEO of Southern California Edison.

The Coulson CH-47 Chinook helitankers are the industry’s largest effective water and fire retardant-dropping helitankers. They can “hover fill” 3,000 gallons in 90 seconds with a retractable snorkel, allowing them to return to the fire line more quickly. They can also operate at night when supported by the Sikorsky S-76 intelligence and recon helicopter. Last year, the Quick Reaction Force dropped more than 700,000 gallons of water on more than 25 wildfires.

“In the past year, the LACoFD has dispatched and utilized Helitanker 55 on numerous wildfires within our jurisdiction, including the Route Fire in Castaic that burned 5,208 acres,” said Anthony C. Marrone, Chief of Los Angeles County Fire Department. “The Quick Reaction Force resources were essential in minimizing the duration of the fire where temperatures peaked above 111 degrees for firefighters battling the blaze on the ground. This year, in anticipation of a hotter-than-normal summer with increased vegetation due to the rainfall, the Quick Reaction Force resources will again be a welcome addition to our world-renowned air operations fleet.”

The helitankers are operated by Coulson Aviation and managed and leased by three Southern California fire departments including the Orange County Fire Authority, Los Angeles County Fire Department and Ventura County Fire Department.

“The CH-47s pack a big punch. Putting that much water on a fire soon after it starts can help keep it from becoming a devastating large fire our state has seen too often in recent years,” said Dustin Gardner, Chief of Ventura County Fire Department.

The Quick Reaction Force is upgrading from two to three Boeing CH-47 Chinook helitankers to prepare for peak 2023 wildfire season. During peak wildfire season, the Quick Reaction Force fleet will consist of:

— Three Boeing CH-47 Chinook helitankers that can each carry up to 3,000 gallons of water or retardant.

— One Sikorsky S-76 intelligence and recon helicopter which allows the Quick Reaction Force to operate at night.

— One mobile retardant base which allows for faster turnaround time for the helitankers.

A critical component of the Quick Reaction Force is the mobile retardant base, which includes tanks that can be filled while the helitankers are hovering and can mix up to 18,000 gallons of retardant per hour. During peak wildfire season, the mobile retardant base will be positioned close to fires in pre-determined locations in each county.

“Our goal to keep all new wildfires 10 acres or less 95% of the time is not possible without the most state-of-the-art fleet of firefighting aircraft in the world. That is exactly what the Quick Reaction Force is, and its year-round availability is a significant step in fighting what has become a year-round season of potentially deadly and destructive wildfires in Southern California and beyond,” said Brian Fennessy, Chief, Orange County Fire Authority.

The Quick Reaction Force will also be available when called upon by partner fire departments, prioritized for fire suppression activities within Southern California Edison’s 50,000-square-mile service area. If needed, all three helitankers, the Sikorsky S-76 intelligence recon helicopter and the mobile retardant base will be assigned to a wildfire to provide overwhelming suppression power.

Southern California Edison nearly doubled its contribution this year and provided nearly $35 million to local fire agency partners to fund the Quick Reaction Force program’s standby costs. The fire agencies lease the helitankers from Coulson Aviation and provide operational control, staffing, and, if called into action, the requesting fire department will pay for the operational costs.