COUNTY ADDS THIRD HELICOPTER FOR FIREFIGHTING

County News Service

October 12, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) --San Diego County has added a third helicopter to its firefighting fleet, beefing up regional air support in time for the high-risk wildfire season.

The Bell 205 A-1 will be based at Gillespie Field in El Cajon and flown by ASTREA, the Sheriff’s Department aviation unit. It can hoist critical equipment, ferry firefighters to remote spots and includes a 375-gallon water tank for fire suppression.

“If we can get on these fires while they are small, then they won’t turn into infernos that we’ve seen,” says Supervisor Dianne Jacob in a video released by the county.

The new helicopter makes nine total for the County's fleet.