New wildfire fighting tool unveiled in North County

SAN MARCOS, Calif. ( FOX 5/KUSI ) — A new water tank to help fight fires from the air was unveiled in San Marcos Tuesday.

Helicopters with capabilities to drop water onto fires aerially are one of the most crucial firefighting tools. The New HeloPod can be filled with 5,000 gallons of water in under three minutes.

Then, a helicopter can fill its tank through its “snorkel” while hovering above, in about one minute.

“Aerial assets are key in wildland firefighting, and having this is going to be key to the success here in San Diego County,” Jon Hegge, CalFire Division Chief said.

The Vallecitos Water District, CalFire, San Marcos Fire Department and the City of San Marcos have been working together on this project for the last four years.

“Finding water sources in San Diego, especially in areas that are developed like the City of San Marcos, can be challenging. So we have to find water sources that are accessible, and not only safe for our pilots, but safe for people on the ground. So it is a challenge in this area, and obviously there’s not a lot of lakes in San Diego, so having this is a huge benefit for the region and for the people of North County.”

“We are really susceptible to climate extremes and wildfire risk. We’ve had several fires in the area over the last 15 years where people have had to evacuate, so implementing something like this — the HeloPod — really helps mitigate that risk,” President of the Vallecitos Water District Board Tiffany Boyd-Hodgson said.

The nearest HeloPod to San Marcos residents was located in Fallbrook prior to the new location in San Marcos. Fire officials say this new HeloPod in San Marcos will drastically reduce the time it would take for aerial drops on fires in the North County.

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