County Leases 2 Super Scoopers
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday formally approved an agreement to lease two Super Scooper firefighting aircraft for the next five fire seasons.
Leasing the Super Scoopers from the government of the Canadian province of Quebec will cost about $1.2 million this year and no more than $1.5 million in each succeeding year, according to county documents.
The plane, which can carry up to 1,400 pounds of water and reload its tanks by skimming over the surface of the ocean or large lakes, has been praised as a valuable tool in combating brush fires.
Such conditions are a particular danger during October and November, when Santa Ana winds kick up across Southern California and fan devastating wildfires, as happened most recently in 1993.
County fire officials have said that although the Super Scooper does not perform as well as they had hoped in moderate to high winds over rugged terrain, it is the best fire-fighting tool currently available.
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