Nighttime aerial firefighting equipment that helped knock down Australian wildfires last year will be tested in Orange County over the next five months.
Starting July 1, the Orange County Fire Authority will run a pilot program with two special helicopters: one that does reconnaissance of ground conditions, any obstacles such as power lines, and where the nearest water sources are, and a second chopper that will be “the first-ever nighttime, hover-filling tanker in the U.S.,” authority spokeswoman Colleen Windsor said.
Firefighting aircraft that can work at night have been responding to wildland fires in Orange County through mutual aid agreements, but the county doesn’t have equipment of its own. Also, officials said existing aircraft in the U.S. aren’t able to refill from open water sources such as ponds and lakes in the dark.