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OCFA and Edison urge stable funding for QRF helicopters after state partnership proposal
Summary
Orange County Fire Authority and Southern California Edison funded a Quick Reaction Force (QRF) aerial firefighting program credited with night-time initial attack success; panelists urged creating a sustainable funding mechanism to replace utility funding and referenced legislation to transition funding to the state.
Fire chiefs and local emergency officials told the Assembly committee that a public‑private Quick Reaction Force (QRF) of heavy helicopters has been a cost‑effective tool for rapid initial attack on wildfires and urged a durable funding mechanism beyond utility sponsorship.
Brian Fennessy, fire chief of the Orange County Fire Authority and president of the California Fire Chiefs Association, described the QRF — a fleet that includes CH‑47 Chinook helitankers and a Sikorsky S‑76 command helicopter — as a program able to "hover, fill 3,000 gallons in 90 seconds and drop on precise targets, day or night." Fennessy credited the program, funded by Southern California Edison (SCE) since 2021, with helping suppress nearly 250 wildfires, dropping roughly 9,000,000 gallons and keeping many fires below 10 acres.
Why it matters: The QRF provides aerial capacity that fixed‑wing tankers cannot always supply, particularly at night when fixed wing aircraft are normally grounded. Fennessy said the scale and precision of night aerial suppression has prevented larger losses and delivered statewide public benefits beyond Edison’s service area.
Costs and funding: Fennessy told the committee the QRF program has cost about $37,000,000 a year to operate (covering four contracted helicopters, a mobile retardant base, program management and ancillary services) and that SCE has invested more than $100,000,000 in the program over four years. He said SCE was transparent about the need to transition QRF funding from SCE customers to a more sustainable model and praised Assemblymember Petrie Norris for introducing legislation (referred to in testimony as "AB 275") to create a state funding pathway.
Policy context: Panelists said the QRF’s nighttime capability — and its ability to hit precise targets in steep or populated terrain — is unique and that year‑round availability (expanded in 2023) improved outcomes compared with earlier seasonal deployments. Committee members asked about acquisition and lead times for heavy helicopters; Fennessy said converting or procuring Chinooks generally takes one to two years and relies on defense surplus markets and specialized contractors.
Next steps: Chief Fennessy asked lawmakers to create a state funding mechanism for the QRF to ensure year‑round operation. No legislative action was taken at the hearing; the committee requested further analysis of state funding options and bill language referenced by panelists.
