Cal Fire officials got a first-hand look at Copter One and Two during night training over San Diego on Wednesday.
Both helicopters are owned by the city of San Diego, but Cal Fire also wants the ability to use them in case they are needed outside city limits. The two choppers have night-vision capability, which allow them to make water drops in the dark.
"As we move forward and, hopefully, are able to take our operation around the clock, we can continue to fight at night," Cal Fire Aviation Safety Officer Tom Humann said.
Cal Fire doesn't have its own choppers that can fight fires at night, so officials took part in a training exercise over Scripps Ranch on Wednesday, during which Copter One pilots coordinated night drops with Cal Fire on a hillside. Ground crews stood below and helped guide the chopper in before it dropped water.
"If we can get on the fires quickly, keep them small, that's the key," San Diego Fire Chief Tracy Jarman told NBC 7/39.
Cal Fire and San Diego Fire Rescue officials called the training exercise a success.
