Sikorsky officials honored the Los Angeles County Fire Department for its search and rescue efforts and superior helicopter maintenance Tuesday.
The L.A. County Fire Department was the first municipal organization to purchase Firehawk helicopters, which supported them throughout the 2017-18 fire season.
“During the catastrophic fires in L.A. County of 2017 and 2018, our firefighters relied heavily on an arsenal of firefighting aircraft, which included the Firehawk helicopter,” said L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger.
By the end of the 2017-18 record breaking wildfire seasons 1.2 million acres burned, 10,804 structures were destroyed and 46 lives claimed, but ultimately thousands of homes and lives were saved.
“Firehawk enhances our fleet strength and strengthens our aerial firefighting capabilities… ultimately improving our ability to protect the lives and property of our citizens,” said Barger.
In recognition of these achievements, Sikorsky presented the L.A. County Fire Department’s Air Operations with the Winged-S Rescue Award.
The Superior Maintenance award was also bestowed upon the L.A. County Fire Department’s Maintenance Section for their superior performance in maintaining and supporting the Firehawk’s mission.
https://twitter.com/MichaelDubron/status/968612594490617856
Sikorsky also presented a $15,000 donation to the Firefighter’s Cancer Support Network, founded by Los Angeles County Firefighter Paramedic Michael Dubron, a survivor of stage IV colon cancer. Dubron recovered and returned to duty founding the FCSN to give firefighters and their families immediate assistance in the case of a cancer diagnosis.
