Full Scale Night Vision Firefighting in SOCAL(2022)
LOS ANGELES, August 30, 2022: Last night Coulson’s Quick Reaction Force (QRF) fleet conducted Night Vision Goggle (NVG) Operations on the Gulch Fire in the Los Angeles National Forest delivering over 52,000 Gallons of water and retardant.
This marks the first large-scale NVG operation of 2022 and Coulson is proud to be supporting Los Angeles, Orange, and Ventura Counties, as well as the United States Forest Service with this capability for the fourth consecutive year.
After going through a competitive bid process, Coulson was successful once again in being awarded the 24 Hour / 7 Day per week contract for its CH-47’s, S-61, and S-76 helicopters.
Coulson is the only non-government agency operating large helicopters at night and the combination of the Boeing CH-47 and Coulson’s own 3,000 USG Constant Flow RADS-L tanking system provides unmatched versatility from any other large helicopter. Coulson’s RADS’s series of tanking systems are also used in their Boeing 737 and Lockheed C-130 aircraft.LOS ANGELES, September XX, 2022 - For the fourth consecutive year, Coulson Aviation USA is proud to be an integral partner supporting the Quick Reaction Force (QRF) which brings the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA), Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD), and Ventura County Fire Department (VCFD) together for peak fire season operations.
As an aircraft supplier for the QRF program, Coulson Aviation’s fire-suppression helicopters and teams operate 24/7, working with fire agency aircraft and personnel to boost protection for communities across each county.
“Coulson Aviation is pleased to be part of such a game-changing and successful firefighting force for California,” said Wayne Coulson, President and CEO of Coulson Aviation. “Our aircraft are on contract this fire season in the LA Basin, day and night, providing additional air support to the brave men and women firefighters working this season.”
Coulson Aviation is the only private company supporting the QRF with helicopter assets which includes two Boeing CH-47 helitankers, one Sikorsky S-61 helitanker, and one Sikorsky S-76 intelligence gathering aircraft.
Los Angeles, Orange, and Ventura Counties held a media event at the launch of this years QRF program, funded by Southern California Edison (SCE), on July 5th where the Chief’s provided the following comments:
“When we say that ‘speed and force’ is a required cost of doing business in today’s wildland fire environment, we do not mean the quantifiable cost of QRF aircraft or its Mobile Retardant Base; we mean the immeasurable cost of the loss of life and property if those resources are not available,” said OCFA Fire Chief Brian Fennessy. “Last year, the QRF proved it does far more than save taxpayer dollars; it saves lives and communities, and we are proud to partner with SCE and our sister agencies to bring it back for 2022.”
“Having these helicopters available last summer helped immediately in protecting homes and businesses across the region from wildfire,” Ventura County Fire Chief Dustin Gardner said. “With another long fire season already upon us, I am grateful they’re here to join the fight.”
Coulson Aviation is the only aerial firefighting company thatlargest operates fully integrated operator of both large fixed and rotary wing firefighting and intelligence aircraft that are fully-equipped to carry out missions across the globe. Coulson’s roots in aviation, combined with the company’s proprietary technology, a wide array of aircraft types, and well-trained attack crews, allow simultaneous aerial firefighting support across multiple continents.
About Coulson Aviation
Coulson Aviation is a global leader in aerial support operations. Throughout the company's 60+ years as an organization, the mission has remained the same: to protect the world from forest fires. Our organizational capabilities allow our team to provide simultaneous aerial support across numerous continents.