Friday, September 4, 2026

Officials Put County Firefighting Aircraft on Display as Fire Season Nears

CITY NEWS SERVICE

The Los Angeles County Fire Department put its array of firefighting aircraft on display for local media Thursday as the 2026 wildfire season gets underway.

Fire Chief Anthony Marrone was on hand at the department’s Air Tanker Base at Van Nuys Airport to showcase the aerial fleet, which includes newly arrived CL-415 SuperScoopers leased from the provincial government of Québec, Canada.

It marked the 33rd year that the province has sent the planes to L.A.

Also displayed were the department’s Boeing Chinook CH-47 Helitanker 55, which is contracted through a partnership with Southern California Edison.

Scheduled to join Marrone at the display of the fire department’s air assets were Los Angeles County Fifth District Supervisor Kathryn Barger; Anne- Catherine Briand-Fortin, acting delegate of Québec in Los Angeles; and Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners Vice President Vanessa Aramayo.

Officials also reviewed such community safety tools as the Ready! Set! Go! program and the Genasys Protect — Know Your Zone, which is designed to keep residents informed about the status of a wildfire threatening their community and any evacuation warnings or orders.