It's a sound people have been hearing a lot in the last few weeks in the Santa Ynez Valley. It’s one of the more than the two dozen helicopters which have played a key role in battling the Lake Fire, the state’s largest wildfire this year.
The Santa Barbara County Air Support Unit was the first aircraft on the scene just after the blaze was reported near Zaca Lake July 5.
"Our primary responsibility was initial attack," said George DeLuca, who is the Air Support Unit’s Chief Pilot. "Our Firehawk was out on the fire. It flew eight hours in the first 24 hours of the fire, and then we moved into rescue aircraft position. We've transported a couple of firefighters from the incident to the hospital."
"It was pretty crazy at the beginning, but it's slowing down a little bit, so we're getting some rest at night," said John Tinsley, who is a rescue paramedic and firefighter.
The air unit’s primary fire and rescue helicopter is a military Blackhawk helicopter which was converted to what’s known as a Firehawk.
This was a big test for Santa Barbara County’s Air Unit. For years, its primary aircraft were Vietnam-era Huey helicopters. They have been workhorses, but are literary over a half century old.
The Air Unit finally got the Firehawk. It can carry triple the water of a Huey in a single trip, and multiple injured people during rescue missions. Plus, perhaps most importantly, unlike a Huey, which has a single engine, it has multiple engines, giving it redundancy in the event of an engine failure.
With the fire only six minutes away by air from the Air Unit’s base at Santa Ynez Airport, the Firehawk was very busy, especially in the first few days of the fire before reinforcements arrived.
We’re looking at the county’s Firehawk, which is in its hanger. Ground crews are giving the sleek looking chopper a complete checkup so it’s ready for its next mission.
"It's a lot of maintenance. This aircraft specifically requires what's called a PMD. It's a preventative maintenance daily inspection," said Tony White, who is the Santa Barbara County Air Support Unit’s Crew Chief.
He said after it goes on missions, the next day it needs a total inspection before it returns to the air.
While the helicopter looks brand new, it has a colorful history. It served two tours as an air ambulance in Afghanistan. But, it's been totally rebuilt.
Then, for it's conversion to a Firehawk, it underwent two retrofit projects, including the addition of water tanks and a winch for rescues. White says some community groups, and individuals stepped up to pay for about two million dollars worth of work to make the helicopter state-of-the art.
"The tank that we have was really spearheaded by Direct Relief," said White. "One805 (a non-profit group which supports first responders) provided the gurney system that we have for inside the aircraft for medical transport. Project Rescue Flight is another agency which provided a lot of funding to put equipment on this aircraft."
The helicopter has flown a number of fire and rescue missions during the last three years. But, the massive Lake Fire, with everything from day and night water drops to firefighter rescue missions was its biggest test.
And, while firefighters are getting the upper hand on the Lake Fire, the Air Unit team knows it and its Firehawk will stay busy, with full containment still days away.
