Ventura County Fire takes delivery of new Firehawk helicopters

Both aircraft feature the integration of PNG’s GPS positioning capability of the MP50 handheld transceivers with the onboard AeroComputers UC-6000 digital mapping system for greater situational awareness of dismounted crewmembers, especially while operating at night and in rugged terrain.

Ventura County’s Firehawk aircraft incorporate a variety of mission-specific equipment to meet specific mission needs, including the Axnes second-generation PNG wireless intercommunication system (WICS). The aircraft were completed by United Rotorcraft, who specialize in next-generation airborne firefighting helicopter completions, specifically UH-60 conversions and new S-70i Firehawk integrations.

The DO-160G (environmental-airborne) and DO-178C (software-airborne) qualified PNG WICS is integrated with the aircraft Eagle Avionics digital intercom system increasing mission capability and operational safety for the most challenging scenarios, particular during rescue hoist missions.

Ability to maintain communications with the crew

The PNG WICS frees crew members from the encumbrance of wired connections to the intercom while minimizing the potential for ICS cord snag hazards. Additionally, this wireless solution provides for the ability to move freely within, as well as outside, the aircraft while maintaining real-time communications with the crew.

Stephen Mickels, Commercial Sales and Solutions Manager of Axnes, said: “Axnes’s PNG system has earned a solid reputation amongst state and local airborne firefighting and utility agencies as an extremely versatile and efficient tool to help improve communication, safety and situational awareness during critical public safety missions. The PNG system enables line-of-sight wireless communication with full AES 256 grade encryption for secure transmission.”

Captain Mel Lovo of the Ventura County Fire Department added: “What attracted us to PNG is its unique adaptive noise and echo cancelling technology and its ‘hands-free’ non-interrupted VOX capabilities. Additionally, since the PNG wireless ICS is used by several different agencies and organizations in California, it allows for communication in multi-agency events for cross-agency communication between multiple different PNG handheld units, by switching to a common or shared channel.”  

Firefighting agencies, including the Los Angeles County Fire Department, Orange County Fire Authority and Ventura County Fire Department in partnership with SCE, are expanding their capabilities to combat California’s wildfire threat.