To prepare for the 2010 fire season, Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich announced that the Los Angeles County Fire Department has renewed a contract to lease two CL-415 SuperScoopers fire-fighting aircraft from the Government of Quebec.

“To ensure that we are prepared for fire season, these vital aircraft have been requested to supplement our Fire Department’s water-dropping helicopters,” said Antonovich.

SuperScoopers are a fixed-wing aircraft that can carry up to 1,620 gallons of water and takes only 12 seconds to scoop water from a lake and inject it with fire-resistant foam – a combination up to 3 times more effective than water alone. They can be airborne in as little as five minutes and fly three hours before refueling.

The SuperScoopers are expected to arrive on Monday, September 1, 2010, and will be placed into service through November 31, 2010.