San Diego County buys new Firehawk
The helicopter will bolster the Californian county’s existing firefighting capabilities
The County of San Diego, California, has announced that it will acquire a new Sikorsky S-70 Firehawk to further strengthen its firefighting capabilities.
The new aircraft will join the region’s existing fleet of 12 firefighting helicopters and planes. It will be capable of carrying up to 1,000gal of water, and will have a hoist for rescue operations.
The purchase of the helicopter, as well as all necessary upgrades, was approved by the county’s Board of Supervisors on 21 October.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) will provide staffing, maintenance, fuel, and training for the new helicopter.
The acquisition is in response to the growing issue of wildfires in San Diego County – last year, the local government’s existing helicopter made 1,400 water drops and rescued 159 people.
San Diego County previously acquired two Bell helicopters in 2023 for use by its sheriff’s department.
Oliver Cuenca
Oliver Cuenca is a Junior Editor at the Voyageur Group. He was previously a News and Features Journalist for the rail magazine IRJ until 2021, and studied MA Magazine Journalism at Cardiff University. His favourite helicopter is the AW169 – the workhorse of the UK air ambulance sector! He also led the creation of Waypoint: The AirMed&Rescue podcast, serving as its Production Editor and co-host.