New ‘HeloPod’ near Ortega Highway will help helicopters fill up on water during wildfires
As a small crowd looks on, an Orange County Fire Authority Chinook CH-47 helitanker, which can carry up to 3,000 gallons of water, refills with water during a demonstration at the new HeloPod located at Quest Diagnostics along Ortega Highway in San Juan Capistrano on Friday, December 15, 2023. The water tank is attached to a fire hydrant and allows for firefighting helicopters combating wildfires to hover and refill their tanks with water without having to travel long distances. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The Orange County Fire Authority and Quest Diagnostics revealed a new “HeloPod” on Friday, which officials said will assist in firefighting efforts in and around Orange County.
Situated in San Juan Capistrano off of Ortega Highway on Quest Diagnostic’s property, the HeloPod station with its 3,700-gallon tank will serve as an easy-access water refilling station for helicopters, said OCFA spokesperson Sean Doran, giving firefighters a water source in a strategic location in order to have a faster turnaround time during fires.
An Orange County Fire Authority Chinook CH-47 helitanker, which can carry up to 3,000 gallons of water, refills with water during a demonstration at the new HeloPod located at Quest Diagnostics along Ortega Highway in San Juan Capistrano on Friday, December 15, 2023. The water tank is attached to a fire hydrant and allows for firefighting helicopters combating wildfires to hover and refill their tanks with water without having to travel long distances. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Santa Margarita Water District Board President Saundra Jacobs takes video along with others in the crowd as an Orange County Fire Authority helicopter fills up with water at the new HeloPod located at Quest Diagnostics along Ortega Highway in San Juan Capistrano on Friday, December 15, 2023. The water tank is attached to a fire hydrant and allows for firefighting helicopters combating wildfires to hover and refill their tanks with water without having to travel long distances. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
An Orange County Fire Authority Chinook CH-47 helitanker, which can carry up to 3,000 gallons of water, makes a demonstration water drop after filling up with water at the new HeloPod located at Quest Diagnostics along Ortega Highway in San Juan Capistrano on Friday, December 15, 2023. The water tank is attached to a fire hydrant and allows for firefighting helicopters combating wildfires to hover and refill their tanks with water without having to travel long distances. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
As a small crowd looks on, an Orange County Fire Authority Chinook CH-47 helitanker, which can carry up to 3,000 gallons of water, makes a demonstration water drop after filling up with water at the new HeloPod located at Quest Diagnostics along Ortega Highway in San Juan Capistrano on Friday, December 15, 2023. The water tank is attached to a fire hydrant and allows for firefighting helicopters combating wildfires to hover and refill their tanks with water without having to travel long distances. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
An Orange County Fire Authority Chinook CH-47 helitanker, which can carry up to 3,000 gallons of water, makes a demonstration water drop after filling up with water at the new HeloPod located at Quest Diagnostics along Ortega Highway in San Juan Capistrano on Friday, December 15, 2023. The water tank is attached to a fire hydrant and allows for firefighting helicopters combating wildfires to hover and refill their tanks with water without having to travel long distances. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
An Orange County Fire Authority helicopter makes a demonstration water drop after filling up with water at the new HeloPod located at Quest Diagnostics along Ortega Highway in San Juan Capistrano on Friday, December 15, 2023. The water tank is attached to a fire hydrant and allows for firefighting helicopters combating wildfires to hover and refill their tanks with water without having to travel long distances. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
An Orange County Fire Authority Chinook CH-47 helitanker, which can carry up to 3,000 gallons of water, flies in to refill with water during a demonstration at the new HeloPod located at Quest Diagnostics along Ortega Highway in San Juan Capistrano on Friday, December 15, 2023. The water tank is attached to a fire hydrant and allows for firefighting helicopters combating wildfires to hover and refill their tanks with water without having to travel long distances. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
An Orange County Fire Authority helicopter fills up with water at the new HeloPod located at Quest Diagnostics along Ortega Highway in San Juan Capistrano on Friday, December 15, 2023. The water tank is attached to a fire hydrant and allows for firefighting helicopters combating wildfires to hover and refill their tanks with water without having to travel long distances. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The new HeloPod located at Quest Diagnostics along Ortega Highway in San Juan Capistrano on Friday, December 15, 2023. The HeloPod allows for firefighting helicopters combating wildfires to hover and refill their tanks with water without having to travel long distances to get water. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Orange County Fire Authority Board Member and 5th District Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley speaks during a news conference about the HeloPod located at Quest Diagnostics along Ortega Highway in San Juan Capistrano on Friday, December 15, 2023. The water tank is attached to a fire hydrant and allows for firefighting helicopters combating wildfires to hover and refill their tanks with water without having to travel long distances. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Santa Margarita Water District Board President Saundra Jacobs speaks during a news conference about the HeloPod located at Quest Diagnostics along Ortega Highway in San Juan Capistrano on Friday, December 15, 2023. The water tank is attached to a fire hydrant and allows for firefighting helicopters combating wildfires to hover and refill their tanks with water without having to travel long distances. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Warren B. Spalding, Executive Director, Laboratory Operations, Quest Diagnostics, speaks during a news conference about the HeloPod located at Quest Diagnostics along Ortega Highway in San Juan Capistrano on Friday, December 15, 2023. The water tank is attached to a fire hydrant and allows for firefighting helicopters combating wildfires to hover and refill their tanks with water without having to travel long distances. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Orange County Fire Authority Fire Chief Brian Fennessy speaks during a news conference about the HeloPod located at Quest Diagnostics along Ortega Highway in San Juan Capistrano on Friday, December 15, 2023. The water tank is attached to a fire hydrant and allows for firefighting helicopters combating wildfires to hover and refill their tanks with water without having to travel long distances. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
As a small crowd looks on, an Orange County Fire Authority Chinook CH-47 helitanker, which can carry up to 3,000 gallons of water, refills with water during a demonstration at the new HeloPod located at Quest Diagnostics along Ortega Highway in San Juan Capistrano on Friday, December 15, 2023. The water tank is attached to a fire hydrant and allows for firefighting helicopters combating wildfires to hover and refill their tanks with water without having to travel long distances. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Before this installation in rural San Juan Capistrano, the nearest refilling station was in Dove Canyon, which has a typical 12-minute turnaround to the Ortega Highway area. Now, with the new station, that time is cut in half, Doran said.
The HeloPod works with an auto-pump, which was installed and funded by the Santa Margarita Water District. When a helicopter comes through to pick up water for a fire, the station will automatically pump more water back into the tank at 850 gallons per minute to almost immediately replenish the reserve.
“We are bolstering the area’s resilience against potential disaster,” said SMWD Board President Saundra Jacobs. “This HeloPod endeavor has been a long awaited dream for the community. It is a testament to the power and shared vision of ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our community.”
The tank won’t not require an engine company – a group of firefighters who specifically handle the connection of water to the engines – which frees up crews to focus on the fire. For night refills, the tank can be lit up seen from about seven miles out, officials said.
This addition to the OCFA’s firefighting resources helps address the difficulties presented by a year-round wildfire season in California, Doran said, boosting the organization’s ability to achieve its goal of restricting wildfires to 10 acres, or less, 95% of the time.
OCFA Fire Chief Brian Fennessy said the new facility will play “a crucial role in enhancing the effectiveness of wildland firefighting in our region through increased speed, force and volume.
“We at the OCFA are grateful to our partners at the Orange County Board of Supervisors, Quest Diagnostics and the Santa Margarita Water District for joining us in our commitment to better protect life and property by continuously evolving our wildland firefighting capabilities,” he said.
This HeloPod is the first of two installations happening in the Orange County area; Doran said an announcement on where and when it will be placed is expected to occur soon.
The OCFA serves 23 cities and various unincorporated areas in Orange County, about 2 million people, with 78 stations across the county.
