Contra Costa County Fire Protection District has deployed its seasonal firefighting helicopter, Copter 1, for the 2025 summer fire season. Based at the Byron Wildfire Center, the aircraft will be available daily during daylight hours for wildfire response throughout the county. Copter 1 is a Type 2 helicopter equipped to carry up to 300 gallons of water. It features a snorkel and pump system that allows for rapid refills from lakes, reservoirs, or portable tanks set up by ground crews. The helicopter is operated seven days a week by an experienced pilot and a trained aviation officer from Contra Costa Fire. The presence of Copter 1 within the county allows for quicker response times, especially during the critical early stages of a wildfire. By delivering water to the fireline within minutes of dispatch, the helicopter enhances the district’s ability to contain fires before they grow out of control. The 2025 seasonal helicopter program is funded through a public-private partnership, with PG&E contributing $1 million toward operations. The remaining costs are covered by Contra Costa Fire’s general fund, bringing the total program budget to $2 million.
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This might be simplistic, but for $2M per annum you could put one of these choppers in every county in CA for $116M – and these aren’t even funded by taxes? CA budget is $322B so why can’t we spend a bunch more money on fighting fires to be sure we never burn to the ground again? Wouldn’t insurance rates come down if that happened? Something is wrong with our government out here…
As a Vietnam Veteran it looks like a UH-1. I can hear it coming 5 miles away