County Leases Huey Chopper for Firefighting : Public safety: The need for its fast-hitting, agile power was made clear during the Laguna disaster. Its 360-gallon tank can fill in less than 90 seconds.

When Steve Edwards fights a fire, he usually gets there on a red fire engine and works with his feet firmly on the ground.

But on Thursday afternoon, Edwards got a preview of what it would be like to fight a fire from the air, when he took part in a demonstration of the Orange County Fire Department’s new helicopter at Peters Canyon Regional Park.

“Flying is a great experience,” Edwards said after disembarking from the green and white chopper, which filled its 360-gallon tank with water from the park’s reservoir in less than 90 seconds, then dumped it over the dry brush below.

“I have a feeling the helicopter is going to have a great effect in getting water where it is most needed,” said Edwards, one of the chopper’s three crew chiefs.

The helicopter, a Bell model 205A-1 Huey, has been a longtime dream for local firefighters, said County Fire Capt. Dan Young.

“This is one of the last things on our wish list,” Young said.

The need for a chopper became abundantly clear, officials said, after the Oct. 27 Laguna Beach fire, which roared over more than 16,000 acres and damaged or destroyed more than 400 homes in Laguna Beach, Canyon Acres, Emerald Bay and the El Moro Beach Mobile Home Park.

“When you have a fire driven by Santa Ana winds like the Laguna Beach fire, they burn until they run out of fuel or until the wind stops,” Young said. “The key is to be able to catch these fires while they are still small. Both the Laguna and Malibu fires were at one point very small fires.

“This helicopter gives us a chance to hit hard and fast in the air,” he said. “If you can knock a fire down quick and keep it at four acres, you can stop it. But if it gets to 50 or 100 acres with 60-m.p.h. winds, it’s not going to be stopped.”

The County Board of Supervisors this week leased the helicopter for one year from Evergreen Helicopters Inc. for $1.25 million. The price includes the services of pilots, fuel and maintenance of the chopper. In October, the Fire Department will present the board with a report on the effectiveness of the helicopter. The board then will decide to buy one or to continue leasing, Young said.

The chopper, which will be based at John Wayne Airport, was built in 1966 and has been completely rebuilt. It can seat up to 10 crew members, said pilot Bill Collier.

“It’s a good machine, big and strong,” Collier said. “It’s just like new.”

The helicopter’s large water tank is mounted to its belly. The chopper does not have to land to refill; it can simply hover over any body of water with a depth of at least 18 inches. The tank is filled through a pump attached to a six-foot snorkel, officials said.

Another feature of the helicopter is its seven-gallon foam tank, which can inject a 1% solution into the water tank. Foam is more effective than water because it takes longer to dissipate.

The helicopter also will be useful in spotting the exact location of a fire and the best access to it, Young said, and in transporting firefighters or other people in emergencies.

The chopper had its first false alarm Thursday when a small vegetation fire broke out on the side of the eastbound Riverside Freeway. The fire was quickly contained from the ground by motorists and Caltrans workers, so a request for the chopper was canceled.

“Now we have an immediate-response source,” Young said. “I think this is one of the best moves this department has made in a long time. It’s a quantum leap.”