California fire hydrants are essential to contain and extinguish fires

Firefighters in California are fighting historic wildfires from the sky using a variety of efficient, specialized aircraft that drop water and fire retardants. Los Angeles.

The state’s fleet includes tactical aircraft, air tankers and helicopters. They all have specific roles and abilities, but they work together as a unit to fight the fires that have been raging since Tuesday and they made 10 deaths and burned tens of thousands of hectares.

According to Cal Fire’s website, the fleet’s more than 60 planes and helicopters make the department’s largest fleet of aerial firefighting equipment in the world. Its fleet operates from 14 airfields and 11 helicopter bases across the state that can reach most fires in about 20 minutes.

A Super Scooper plane drops water on the Palisades Fire on Tuesday, January 7, 2025, in Pacific Palisades, California. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

POWER GRID FAILURES OCCURRED IMMEDIATELY BEFORE LOS ANGELES WILDFIRES BEGAN: EXPERT

Tactical aircraft often lead the tanker aircraft, with the former providing direction and coordination to the tankers and firefighters on the ground. According to Reuters, most of Cal Fire’s tactical aircraft are North American Rockwell OV-10 twin-turboprop, multi-mission aircraft that have served with the US Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force until the 1990s.

Cal Fire’s fleet of tankers then dumped fire retardant on the ground below.

The Grumman S-2T tank, with its two turboprops, is the workhorse of the agency and can hold about 1,200 liters of fire retardant. Cal Fire also operates larger C-130 Hercules four-engine turboprop aircraft, which can dump about 3,000 gallons per load.

Cal Fire owns a fleet of helicopters, including Bell UH-1H Super Hueys and Sikorsky S70i Black Hawk helicopters. These helicopters can each carry water in buckets hanging below the plane to extinguish the flames.

John Mixson, a retiree US Coast Guard The commander of the helicopter search and rescue aircraft, told Fox News Digital that the buckets, known as bambi buckets, can drop water precisely.

“They can reach any lake or reservoir, and they are able to lower the bucket in the water and then pinpoint deliver their payload. Therefore, it is a little more accurate than the fixed wing, but it is a little less in quantity or suppressant or water,” Mixson said.

“Helicopters can bring enough water to extinguish the fire, of course, depending on the size of the fire. They can also saturate the ground to prevent the fire from spreading. The buckets vary in size due to the capacity of the helicopter that delivers them door, “. some only 70 liters, others more than 2,000 liters”.

Water is dropped by helicopter on the Kenneth Fire in the West Hills section of Los Angeles on Thursday, January 9, 2025. (Ethan Swope/AP)

HELP THE PEOPLE AFFECTED BY THE CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES HERE

Two Canadair CL-415 Super Scooper turboprop aircraft were also deployed to combat the deadly infernos.

The Pentagon said on Friday that two C-130 Hercules military aircraft equipped with a fire system are now on the scene, according to Military.com.

Six more C-130 aircraft are expected to be ready by Sunday. Some of the aircraft had to be retrofitted with fire systems because they were being used for cargo purposes. The fires occurred outside of the traditional fire season.

U scooper planes Fill up by going down to calm waters and skim the surface of the water to fill your tanks. Then they release the water to put out a fire and repeat the process until they need resupply.

The Super Scoopers have been loaded with salt water from the Pacific Ocean, although this is quite rare and typically avoided because it can damage equipment, infrastructure and wildlife, Frank Papalia, a former Lt. New York City fire department and a fire safety expert at Global Security. Group, told Fox News Digital.

Fresh water, whenever possible, is preferred because the salt content is corrosive and can damage equipment such as hoses and pumps.

ESSENTIAL PHONE NUMBERS FOR LOS ANGELES AREA RESIDENTS AND HOW YOU CAN HELP

Airplanes fetch water from the ocean to extinguish the Palisades fire in the mountains on January 9, 2025. (Sandy Hooper/Image)

“In this case, your city is burning to the ground, so using salt water is not that bad,” he told Fox News Digital.

Also, fire hydrants do not use salt water because they are not corrosion resistant, but fire trucks can use salt water. They just have to be close enough to get it and need proper cleaning afterwards.

The fire retardant is not directly discharged the fires. Instead, the chemical is dropped in front of a fire, directing its course or slowing its progress and giving the ground crew the opportunity to control or extinguish it. Retardants can also be released to protect homes or important sites and to keep access roads open.

The substance is typically made of a mixture of water, fertilizer, a thickening agent and red dye. The red dye is added so firefighters can see the retardant against the landscape.

CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES FIRE FOR FIFTH CONSECUTIVE DAY WITH DEADLINES, FRESH EVACUATIONS

The pilots who fly these planes are known as air fire pilots, or water bombers.

Mixon says the pilots come from diverse backgrounds, but many have previously served in the military.

They usually must undergo specific training on their respective aircraft type to handle its unique capabilities and systems. Most firefighting pilots already have years of flight experience before they take to the skies in a firefighting aircraft.

According to Hillsboro Aero Academy, an Oregon-based flight school, becoming a helicopter pilot involves accumulating between 1,500 and 4,000 hours of helicopter flight time as a pilot in command (PIC), a responsible pilot of the safety and operation of an aircraft.

The flight hours equip aspiring pilots with vital knowledge about aircraft systems, mission training and fire behavior, and candidates need to demonstrate that they can operate firefighting helicopters in difficult conditions such as mountainous terrain. They also need technical skills to work closely with ground crews and other aircraft during missions and knowledge of how fire spreads and how to contain aircraft.

A tanker drops retardant as the Palisades Fire grows in the hills of Topanga, California, on January 9, 2025. (David Swanson/AFP via Getty Images)

The hours are similar for future fixed-wing pilots.

“The crews are all extremely highly trained specifically for the specialized mission,” Mixson said. “This is not a secondary mission for the Cal Fire folks or anyone from the DOD or the Forest Service. Like the US Coast Guard, they are very, very specialized in what they do.

“It’s very dangerous, very challenging, but I’m also very, very trained, unique for the specific task.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

One of the most apparent dangers is the low altitude over hilly terrain in high wind conditions, which is what they are struggling with now, Mixson said.

Mixson pointed out that through the smoke, these crews also have to avoid other aircraft, terrain and everyday hazards like radio towers.

Santa Ana’s strong winds prevented the deployment of firefighting aircraft earlier this week due to safety risks.

Meanwhile, a drone smashed into one of the Canadian Super Scoopersas well. The impact left a fist-sized hole in the water, leaving the plane’s wing. No injuries were reported. Cal Fire said it expects the plane to be back in the air on Monday.

Reuters contributed to this report.