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Orange County Fire Authority firefighters now have a more accessible source from which to to gather water with the grand opening of a new helopod, or helicopter water resupply station, which opened on Dec. 15.
The helopod’s opening signifies a partnership between OCFA, Quest Diagnostics as the host site, and Santa Margarita Water District (SMWD), and it marks the culmination of a yearlong effort to establish the first helopod for OCFA use. The device has a capacity of 3,700 gallons of water and can pump 800 gallons per minute, according to OCFA.
“It’s there at the Quest property; however, if needed, it can be moved to a location closer to a fire,” said Capt. Thanh Nguyen, OCFA public information officer. “That’s the whole point of this; it’s to reduce the turnaround time for helicopters to get water.”
The new facility was made possible through a $100,000 grant in 2022 from former Fifth District Supervisor Lisa Bartlett. The Fifth District diverted the money from its discretionary American Rescue Plan Act allocation of Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds.
SMWD installed the water facilities and is responsible for their continued maintenance, and OCFA negotiated a $1 annual rental fee for the usage of a parcel owned by Quest Diagnostics, which sits off Ortega Highway in San Juan Capistrano.
Previously, OCFA helicopters would find a “dip site,” such as a lake, pond or other body of water, or call in a fire truck from a nearby engine company to get water. Nguyen emphasized the importance of bringing the source closer to helicopters, which can also be done by hooking up the wheeled device to a vehicle and taking it to another location.
Additionally, OCFA can employ an efficient water system with its Helitankers made by Coulson Aviation, which can carry neary 3,000 gallons of water at a time.
“The whole idea is that (the helicopters) come in, they fill (up), and then once they leave, then that tank is resupplied with the water, so it’ll be full by the time the next helicopter comes in,” Nguyen said.
Along with OCFA Fire Chief Brian Fennessy, current Fifth District Supervisor Katrina Foley, newly appointed SMWD Board President Saundra Jacobs and Warren Spalding, executive director of Esoteric Lab Operations, attended the grand opening event.
Foley spoke about the HeloPod in a weekly email message to constituents: “The innovative and strategic addition to OCFA’s firefighting arsenal comes in response to the increasing challenges posed by what is now a year-round wildfire season and will bolster the agency’s ability to achieve its goal to keep all wildfires 10 acres or less 95% of the time.”
Jacobs spoke about SMWD’s involvement.
“That Ortega corridor is a really beautiful area, and we were proud to be part of that protection,” she said. “We installed 150 feet of pipeline, leading to a new fire hydrant, and the hydrant is connected to a new cistern.”
The HeloPod will constantly be supplied with enough pressure to quickly recharge its water supply after being drained, Jacobs continued, which can happen in just 12 seconds with smaller helicopters and in 30 seconds with larger ones.
Don Bunts, SMWD deputy general manager, added that the recent extension of the district’s services to the Quest facility brought the possibility of a collaboration between the three parties into view. OCFA had been interested in establishing the facility near the canyons of South Orange County for a long time, according to Bunts.
A second HeloPod station is expected to be established in the near future, according to OCFA’s Nguyen. Foley touched on those plans in her latest newsletter, saying she looks forward to a location in Aliso Viejo.
