COUNTY WILL AGAIN LEASE AIR TANKERS; SCOOPERS, VALUABLE IN BRUSH FIRES.

Byline: Orith Goldberg Staff Writer

Anticipating brush fires that require aircraft with increased water storage capabilities, the Los Angeles County Fire Department has renewed its seasonal lease of two SuperScoopers and a helitanker.

The aircraft arrive today and will be on standby at Van Nuys Airport. They are viewed by firefighters as their insurance policy in combating larger brush fires.

``If we get a quick attack, we can cut down on how large a fire can get,'' said Los Angeles County Fire Captain Michael Flocks. ``It's nice to have all of the support to deal with fires.''

When blazes erupt in the Santa Clarita Valley, the aircraft may draw water from Pyramid and Castaic lakes.

Although the fire season could peak as late as November or December this year, Flocks said the number of fire starts in the Santa Clarita Valley is already slightly higher than last year. However, the number is not above average, he said.

``Most people think the brush season is over with the summer months, but if it doesn't rain and winds come up, that's when fires can hit,'' he said.

The additional strength of a helitanker and two SuperScoopers provides Los Angeles County residents with a cost-effective, prompt and aggressive service when needed, said Jay Corbett, chief of the Special Operations Bureau for the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

The helitanker has a 2,000-gallon storage capacity and an automatic pump that refills from ponds, lakes or reservoirs as shallow as 18 inches. It's effective in mountainous areas when winds are blowing, because it can penetrate the valleys better, officials said.

The speedy fixed-wing SuperScoopers can travel up to 160 knots and have a 1,600-gallon storage capacity. They are especially effective in combating fires on ridgetops because they can hit their targets well, Flocks said.

The SuperScoopers skim the top of large bodies of water, including the ocean, and scoop water for the tank, Corbett said.

The county Fire Department also shares the use of a helitanker with the U.S. Forest Service. The helitanker exclusively leased by the fire department costs $9,785 a day to remain in standby mode at the airport for the duration of the 90-day lease, which ends in November.

The cost includes up to 75 hours of flight time. Beyond that time, it will cost $4,000 an hour to use the helitanker during the leasing period, Corbett said.

There are no stand-by costs for the helitanker shared with the U.S. Forest Service. However, each hour of flight costs $7,300.

The standby charge for the two SuperScoopers is $9,000 apiece, plus $544 per hour of flight.

The helitankers have been leased for the past three years and the SuperScoopers since 1994 through the fire season, usually September through November.

Last year, the SuperScoopers responded to 66 incidents and were effectively used nine times, logging about 27 hours of flight time per aircraft, which always fly in tandem.

The helitanker was dispatched twice.