Fires often sweep over the hillsides, endangering homes and the watershed,
while hikers frequently get lost in the vast and rugged Angeles National
Forest. Accidents requiring medevac commonly occur on hundreds of miles
of freeway, and swift water rescues, cliffside rescue, and even animal
rescues are almost daily events.
Training day
On July 24, Sikorsky delivered the first of two Firehawks to LACFD?s
Barton Heliport in Pacoima. The pilots immediately began training aboard
the helicopter. The county?s Firehawk pilots are not firefighters, but
they must have a minimum flight experience of 4,000 hours. They also are
receiving training in type as well as special training in the aircraft?s
systems.
 Sikorsky
sent its own training pilots, Chip Washington and Phil Pacini, to Los
Angeles to assist in educating the pilots in all aspects of the Firehawk.
The pilots are also receiving training from FlightSafety and will soon
be getting time on a Black Hawk simulator.
LACFD?s pilots and paramedics are all trained to fly with night vision
goggles. This will allow the county to enhance the safety of its 24-hour
operation. Soon, additional software will permit the Firehawk to fly on
a programmed search pattern while looking for victims.
The new aircraft had its baptism of fire August 26 with an exemplary
performance on a fire near Castaic, about 30 miles north of Los Angeles.
We were on the scene to film the flames as they raced up a canyon toward
nearby homes.
Within minutes, the Firehawk appeared overhead, turning to make its approach
to combat the flames. Monitoring the operation from the fire captain?s
radio on the ground, we heard the Firehawk pilot announce he was ready
to make the drop. Immediately, the Firehawk flew directly overhead, sounding
its siren as it unleashed 1,000 gallons of water directly into the jaws
of the inferno before dashing off through a gigantic cloud of smoke.
The pilot then radioed to the captain that he would return momentarily
with another strike after filling the Firehawk?s water tank with another
load of water. Hovering over nearby Lake Castaic, the Firehawk filled
its tank in just 50 seconds, and in a moment it was back overhead, coming
in with another strike to beat back the flames and help save another home.
Aided by courageous firefighters on the ground who held their own line
against the 50-foot flames, the aircraft managed to defeat the fire.
The LACFD is one of the elite firefighting agencies in the world. Over
the years, the air unit has virtually written the book on fighting brush
fires. Until the purchase of the Firehawks, the air unit battled fires
with a fleet of Bell 412 helicopters.
Although the 412s served well in their time, the county?s exponential
growth in population, traffic and emergency responses forced a re-evaluation
of the air unit?s needs as the Bell fleet reached the end of its service
life.
Chief P. Michael Freeman and Deputy Chief Larry Miller saw a need for
heavier attack aircraft that could deliver more water more quickly, and
perform a vast array of multi-mission functions from SAR to medevac and
extractions.
Senior Pilot Lee Benson, along with then-Battalion Chief (now acting
Assistant Chief) Tom Page, assembled a team to search for a new helicopter
that would not just be equal to the 412s, but would be a quantum leap
for the department. Working with Deputy Chief Gary Lockhart and other
personnel, they looked at everything from new aircraft types to funding.
The first step was to set the goal of having a true Type I aircraft.
The helicopter also would be required to fly with 1,000 gallons of water
and a full helitack crew of 13. The department also required it to have
the ability to fight fires, move personnel, perform SAR operations, and
make a quick change to medevac mode.
This team searched around the world, studying the performance records
and information on types from every major helicopter manufacturer. They
researched all makes and models, including Eurocopter?s Super Pumas and
older Aerospatiale helicopters, Westland?s EH101 Merlin, and even Russian
Mil helicopters.
They also studied the fixed-wing Bombardier CL-415 Super Scooper. While
they continued to work independently, the LACFD also brought in outside
aviation consultants Conklin & de Decker to analyze the aircraft and costs
involved.
"We wanted to get the best bang for our buck," Page says. "We wanted
to know what the full costs would be."
The selection team, led by Page and Benson, looked at every helicopter
and fixed-wing aircraft that had a capacity of at least 1,000 gallons,
and could deliver medical emergency response, speed, durability, endurance,
cost effectiveness, easy maintenance, good passenger-carrying ability,
and enhanced survivability.
Firehawk development
In 1999, Sikorsky provided a Black Hawk fitted with a water tank to test
the Firehawk concept. For three months, this experimental firefighting
aircraft, flown by LACFD pilots and supervised by Sikorsky test pilot
and program coordinator Chip Washington, was used on missions ranging
from firefighting to swift water rescue training. 
During that time, then-Captain Gerald Cosey (now Wildland Firefighting
Battalion Chief), worked daily with the assembled teams to put the Firehawk
through its crucial testing period. Cosey, a 19-year veteran of the department,
was impressed with what he called the aircraft?s "tremendous weight-carrying
capacity." He also noted that the Firehawk could hold nearly three times
as many passengers as a 412 equipped with a firefighting kit.
The three-month testing period was useful in helping to make the final
decision on which helicopter would be selected. In addition, the Firehawk,
like the Black Hawk, has excellent survivability. As Page puts it, "If
you go down in a helicopter, you want to go down in one of these." In
the end, the transformed Black Hawk was the best choice for the LACFD.
Because of the aircraft?s speed, agility, survivability, and compact
rotor disk for tight maneuvering around high rises and jagged mountain
canyons, LACFD picked the modified Black Hawk. Working with Sikorsky,
the department determined that the standard military Black Hawk configuration
would not work for fire and rescue operations. It would have to be configured
especially for the department?s mission.
The team, now including mechanics and aircrews, worked side by side with
Sikorsky to bring a dedicated firefighting helicopter?the Firehawk?into
existence.
One important change was converting the standard two-pilot configuration
of the Black Hawk to the single-pilot configuration favored by the LACFD.
The cockpit was redesigned based on input from the LACFD team, along with
Sikorsky engineers and other outside professionals.
Customizing the Firehawk was expensive, but the cost to taxpayers was
partly offset by the Firehawk?s ability to prevent fatalities and reduce
property losses.
One of the key firefighting features of the helicopter is the retractable
snorkel, developed by Aero Union and Sikorsky. The new design is based
on a collapsible reel type; essentially, it?s a six-inch nylon tube with
a jet pump on the end. The snorkel is stowed under the starboard door
when the helicopter is in flight.
The new snorkel is a vast improvement over conventional hanging snorkels,
which can snag on fences or trees. The old snorkels also created a lot
of drag, lowering the helicopter?s airspeed. This is important, because
airspeed is a critical component in firefighting operations.
Another advantage of the new design is the snorkel?s ability to work
in water as shallow as 18 inches.
The snorkel can fill the 1,000-gallon tank in 50 seconds?a much faster
pumping rate than most fire trucks can achieve. Since a gallon of water
weighs about eight pounds, a full belly tank adds two extra tons to the
weight of the aircraft.
If a problem occurs, the pilot can immediately dump the water with a
main release switch on the collective. He also can release the hoist cable
and cargo cable using the same switch.
The custom-built EMS interior package was designed and installed by Air
Methods Corp., Englewood, Colorado. The electric hoist, provided by Breeze-Eastern,
Union, New Jersey, "will snatch you off the ground in an instant," Page
says. Among the specialized equipment installed in the helicopter is a
rescue hoist that has a top speed of 320 feet per second and a braking
system to allow for a smooth stop, and a specialized instrument panel
on the flight deck.
Other equipment includes a 30-gallon foam tank and a sensor within the
belly tank that automatically turns off the snorkel pump when the tank
is full. The LACFD dispensed with luxuries, such as air conditioning,
which would have added $1 million to the cost. The Firehawk?s high-visibility,
yellow-and-white paint scheme was applied by Cheyenne Airmotive in Wyoming.
Once around the park
In September, we were present when Chief Pilot Benson prepared to conduct
a training mission into the mountains around LA. Because the Firehawk
has wheels, taxiing is similar to a fixed-wing aircraft. Benson demonstrated
this capability by maneuvering the helicopter between a parked 412 and
a fence with a minimum amount of clearance.
 After
taxiing into position, Benson powered up and lifted off into the hot LA
skies. The Firehawk?s large reserve of available power allowed it to go
straight up without any detectable strain to the twin General Electric
T700-GE-701C engines. Within a few short minutes, the Firehawk was racing
through the Angeles National Forest. As he rounded a mountain peak, he
brought the helicopter to a hover at 10,000 feet.
Benson then adjusted his rotor speed to 95% with the beep button on the
collective. With a tail wind of 20 knots, he kicked the Firehawk into
a left-hand 360? pedal turn and ascended vertically out of the hover.
Benson then dove down to a nearby ski resort with a large pond for snowmaking
purposes. Although the pond was surrounded by a six-foot fence and moderate
winds buffeted the aircraft, he lowered the snorkel with ease, making
a bull?s eye in the center of the pond.
Once the belly tank had taken on a full load of water, Benson climbed
back into the air, turned and dove again, dropping the water back into
the pond in a mock water bombing run?right on target.
It?s important to remember that the Firehawk is not just an HH-60 with
a water tank strapped on. Even the tank was developed and rigorously tested,
using about 400 test criteria. In order to accommodate the belly tank,
the aircraft?s landing gear was extended by 20 inches, giving the tank
a minimum of six inches of static ground clearance on a flat surface.
In addition, the Firehawk has a sophisticated, state-of-art cabin interior
designed by Air Methods with input from Sikorsky and LACFD. Included is
an advanced life support system, which allows paramedics to perform vital
lifesaving work with built-in suction, oxygen, and vital life-support
monitoring. An Assisted Patient Loading System (APLS) is installed on
each side of the interior, with full seat belt restraints for the patient.
The intercom allows the pilot to isolate the cockpit from the cabin, to
prevent him from being distracted by radio communications between flight
paramedics and the hospital. When necessary, paramedics can cut into the
pilot?s channel.
The interior design provides room for 10 additional seats, including
four permanent Sikorsky stock models on the back bulkhead. There are also
six fold-up seats from Simula Safety Systems, Tempe, Arizona. All seats
are fully crashworthy, and are the same as those found in the Army?s UH-60Q
model. The paramedics? seats, made by Martin-Baker Aircraft Co., Middlesex,
England, swivel 360?. The cockpit seats are identical to those the U.S.
Navy uses in the SH-60 Seahawk.
The county has placed an order for a high-powered Nightsun searchlight,
which will be installed in the nose, where the military configurations
place the radar. Another accessory on order is an external hatch to allow
stowage of chain saws, shovels and other gear.
In addition to the county?s present fleet of four Bell 412s and one JetRanger
(used mostly for mapping and other light duties), the acquisition of the
two Firehawks leaves the LACFD well prepared for the many fires, rescues,
and other emergencies the department faces every day.
Craig and Suzanne Bonholtzer are frequent contributors to R&W and volunteer
photographers for LACFD.
Sikorsky Firehawk Specifications
Cruise speed:155 knots
Powerplant: 2 X General Electric T700-GE-701C
Max gross weight:22,000 pounds
Water tank fill rate:1,000 gallons/minute
Intended missions: Firefighting, rescue, medevac, and external lift.
Firefighting kit:
1,000-gallon water tank
Retractable water pump (snorkel)
Cockpit control panel
Cockpit control panel wiring
Civilian radios
Rearview mirror attachment points
Extended landing gear
Source: Sikorsky Aircraft Corp.
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