A CH-47 Chinook helicopter returned to the Paso Robles Air Attack Base this month for its second fire season on the Central Coast.
Owned and operated by PJ Helicopters, the helicopter will be on the Central Coast until late October through a contract with CAL FIRE.
The helicopter can hold 2,300 gallons of water at a time and takes only 40 seconds to fully refill its tank, making it a major advantage in fighting wildfires.
"They are night-capable, which means that they can fly under night vision goggles at night, and go perform fire suppression, almost unaided and unsupervised, which is helpful, because the fire is usually darkened down a little bit at night with less fire activity. We can take advantage of those weather windows," said CAL FIRE Battalion Chief Cody Dunn.
Last fire season was the first time the helicopter was stationed in Paso Robles, and Chief Dunn says it was a big help.
"We flew them quite a bit during the day, but then as those fires transitioned in the night, then they were able to take care of that as well," Dunn said, adding that this is the only nighttime aerial apparatus in San Luis Obispo County, and they've already used it for one fire this month in a neighboring county.
