‘Scooper’ Usefulness Questioned

Officials are negotiating to lease the firefighting Super Scoopers for a third consecutive year despite a recent report questioning the effectiveness of the much-vaunted aircraft.

Larry Miller, chief operating deputy for the Los Angeles County Fire Department, said his department is currently negotiating a lease that would bring the Super Scooper to Los Angeles County in October for another trial run.

Miller said the department has had only two opportunities to test the aircraft under windy conditions and in the daylight. On both occasions, the effectiveness of the Super Scoopers was hampered by rugged terrain.

“We knew going in that there was no absolute panacea,” Miller said. “There is no one aircraft that can do it all.”

County Fire Deputy Chief Darrell Higuchi compared trial runs of the ocean-skimming planes--capable of refilling water tanks without returning to an airport--to test driving a new car.

“It was good,” he said. “But did it knock my socks off? No.”

A report prepared by the Los Angeles County Fire Department that was obtained by The Times and is expected to be presented to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors later this month recommends using the Super Scooper if funds are available, but cautions against relying on the planes exclusively.

In particular, the report found that during the 1994 and 1995 October-through-December fire seasons the fixed-wing airplanes failed to operate exceptionally well amid steep and mountainous terrain, especially when moderate to high winds were blowing.

Dan Blackburn, a spokesman for Canadair, the planes’ manufacturer, said his company takes strong exception to that particular observation.

“We believe the Super Scoopers have a significant role to play in the aggressive initial attack of [wildfires],” Blackburn said.

Blackburn pointed out that with the exception of the executive summary, the bulk of the report strongly supports the success and utility of the Super Scooper under most conditions.

Indeed, the report found that the aircraft were excellent in combating fires on flat terrain and rolling hills, knocking down or extinguishing 12 of the 17 fires that the planes responded to during the past two fire seasons.

“It’s our expectation . . . that some additional arrangement will be worked out to use the Super Scoopers in Los Angeles County in some fashion,” Blackburn said.

Last year, the planes cost about $1.1 million to lease, but the county paid only $545,000 due to a federal grant and insurance company grants. This year, the department has budgeted $600,000 for the planes, Miller said.

Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, who represents many of the arid hillside areas that have been particularly prone to recent fires, has asked fire officials for a recommendation, said Yaroslavsky’s spokesman Joel Bellman. “Zev was initially and has been consistent in his support of the plane,” Bellman said, “but wants to have the Fire Department take the lead.”

The Fire Department wants to test a large water-dropping helicopter that can hover, suck water and fly in high winds--abilities that may make it better-suited for fighting Southern California wildfires, Miller said. The department is also considering purchasing several Blackhawk helicopters to replace its existing fleet of choppers in the next couple years.

“What we’re looking for is that piece of equipment that can help us under windy conditions,” Miller said. “We are reluctant to say at this point that the Super Scooper is not the vehicle.”

Times correspondent Danica Kirka contributed to this story.