County Will Get a Firefighting Helicopter : Public safety: Board follows advice in report on October wildfires, agrees to spend up to $1.25 million.

Acting on recommendations of the county’s top fire official, the Board of Supervisors agreed Tuesday to spend up to $1.25 million on a short-term service contract for a firefighting helicopter.

Fire officials plan to have the helicopter available to Orange County by May, which is the start of the next fire season. The board approved the measure 4 to 0, with Supervisor Thomas F. Riley absent.

Larry J. Holms, director of fire services, said the request for a short-term helicopter contract will immediately enhance the department’s firefighting capabilities and give fire officials time to explore financially feasible ways of maintaining long-term helicopter service.

The short-term helicopter contract, which will cover 12 to 18 months, will be funded by existing savings within the County Fire Department budget.

In a 50-page report to the board entitled “Firestorms 1993,” Holms said that helicopters capable of dumping large quantities of water could have had a dramatic effect on efforts to halt the spread of the Laguna Beach fire. That fire destroyed or damaged 441 homes at a cost of $528 million.

“Helicopters, once deemed a luxury, are now necessary, critical components in emergency response capability,” according to the report, which recommends that the county acquire or have access to two helicopters.

The county has traditionally relied on other agencies to provide helicopter service. But the devastating firestorms in Laguna Beach, Anaheim Hills and off the Ortega Highway showed that too much damage can occur while the county waits for helicopter assistance from another agency.

“Firefighting helicopters, the one type of equipment that could have had a positive impact during the critical early stages of the recent fires, were initially unavailable,” the Fire Department’s report states.

Among the options fire officials are investigating for long-term helicopter service are buying new helicopters, refurbishing surplus military helicopters and renting or leasing helicopters from private companies.

County Administrative Officer Ernie Schneider said the California Department of Forestry also has offered to give a helicopter to the county, but it would cost about $250,000 to refurbish that aircraft. Even then, Schneider said, the chopper might not meet the county’s firefighting needs.

“These are issues the Fire Department needs to analyze,” Schneider said. Fire officials are expected to return to the board with helicopter recommendations in about six months.

In addition to the helicopters, Holms’ report on the recent fires also recommends that the county buy portable pumps for firetrucks and improve its communication system.

“The response to disasters like fires and floods begins long before the first alarm is heard or the first rainfall,” Supervisor Roger R. Stanton said. “I don’t think it can be emphasized enough that we have to get going for emergency preparedness in every department long before anything actually occurs.”