Orange County Fire Authority

The Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) has a rich aerial history that transitioned from the Orange County Fire Department (OCFD) in 1995, relocating its air operations to Fullerton Airport in 1996. Early operations utilized refurbished UH-1H "Super Huey" helicopters, such as Copter 41 and Copter 241, which served for decades before their retirement in 2020 due to escalating maintenance costs. A major milestone occurred in 2008 when the agency modernized its fleet with two Bell 412EP twin-engine helicopters (Copters 1 and 2), which introduced Simplex belly tanks and advanced snorkel systems for more efficient water drops.

Today, the OCFA fleet is anchored by two state-of-the-art S-70i Firehawk helicopters, which were officially introduced in August 2024 to replace the legacy Hueys. These Firehawks represent a transformative leap in capability, featuring a 1,000-gallon water capacity that is nearly 200% faster to fill than the Bell 412s. In 2025, the fleet achieved a significant milestone by completing its first-ever rescue mission with a Firehawk, marking its transition into a truly "all-risk" aerial asset. While the OCFA briefly utilized massive CH-47 Chinook helitankers through the Quick Reaction Force (QRF) partnership, that contract expired in early 2026, leaving the four-aircraft fleet of Firehawks and Bell 412s as the agency's primary aerial response force.