Contract for Firefighting Plane Approved

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a five-year lease Tuesday for two Super Scooper Aircraft despite doubts about the plane’s effectiveness in the windy conditions in which it was supposed to perform best in fighting fires.

The planes, which the county has leased on an experimental basis from the government of Quebec for the past two years, should be in Los Angeles by October--when strong Santa Ana winds and dry brush have frequently led to devastating wildfires.

Despite the concerns, Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, who co-sponsored the motion with Supervisor Mike Antonovich, said the plane is the best alternative available.

The county will pay $1.2 million to lease two of the planes this year and a maximum of $1.5 million for the Super Scoopers in successive years, Yaroslavsky said.