Los Angeles County Fire Department officials are taking more proactive steps in their fire prevention and takedown strategy as Santa Clarita continues to move through another fire season. 

The Fire Department transported and installed a 9,000-gallon helicopter dip tank at the Castaic Lake Water Agency to help first-responders’ battles with fires.

“This water tank is going to be added into the Los Angeles County equipment pool to this general area to assist in any wildfires,“ said Captain Keith Mora, Los Angeles County Fire Department public information officer. “Our helicopters or any of our air operations can load water immediately and get back to the fire with a possible turnaround time of five minutes if the fire is close by.”

The helicopter’s water tank can fill in about two minutes, Mora said.

In recent months, the Santa Clarita Valley has been hit by or threatened with multiple brush fires. The Placerita Fire burned more than 800 acres June 25, which followed the Castaic Fire that burned about 1,000 acres June 17.

“All the vegetation that has grown recently in this area has hidden that dead vegetation underneath and it seems that every fire we get here seems to race on us and go very quickly,” said Mora. “So we’ve determined that this area needs a tank, where we can fill quickly and get back to the fire.”

The tank was brought to the CLWA on the back of a full-size flatbed transport Fire Department semi-trailer truck and lifted into place with a Fire Department Heavy Rescue “crane.” The tank was then attached to a nearby fire hydrant and immediately became operational.

“The tank is constantly filled and the helicopters don’t have to land,” said Captain Mora. “They can just fly in, fill up and take back off so the next one can come in.”

Multiple helicopters can be filled by the the 9,000-gallon tank, allowing 1,000-gallon Fire Department water-distributing helicopters to be filled within moments of their return to the tank, according to officials.

“The idea is to get as much water to that brush fire,” Mora said, “and get to it when it’s still in its incipient stages.”