As the Bike Fire rapidly grew in size within the first 45 minutes of the initial call, first responders were gearing up for the battle against the blaze.
And local resident Steve Arklin, owner of the “Yankee 123” helipod, played host to one of the resources that Los Angeles County Fire Department personnel used to combat the flames.
The helipod is a 4,500-gallon tank and that refill water automatically through the nearby fire hydrants – and Arklin says that immediately after a helicopter left, the tank was already full again for another helicopter to fill up, dropping a large hose into the helipod to “snorkel” water into its onboard tank.
“The water’s coming in so fast to the tank, it’s ready for the next one. And the next one, and we, I don’t know, there’s not an exact number, but I would say they probably took close to 100 loads out of there,” Arklin said.
Arklin said he decided to build the helipod because he had been through countless fires and had brought in his own resources to help with past fires, but he felt like he could do more in protecting the rural area.
He said he did the research on how he can support the helicopters when they get water to throw on fires, landing on the helipod as a resource.
“I found this resource and working with (Los Angeles County Supervisor) Kathryn Barger’s team and L.A. County Fire Department, I purchased this tank that they were happy with, and I put it in a location that worked for their helicopters on such a mountain, and we lowered the brush. We lowered the treetops so that they could come in without any obstructions. We put a huge rock down,” Arklin said.
He added that he built it to their standards and it was approved as a designated helipod location on GPS using Arklin’s call sign “Yankee 123.”
Arklin said the Bike Fire was the first official time that helicopters used the helipod and he was overjoyed by the crews that worked so hard to combat the fire.
“(The) L.A. County Fire (Department) used it in test runs, but only to see how it worked and how quickly it filled, and they were really happy with it. Also, because they authorized it, we had to make sure that it was ready to go. And then I, and then I serviced it. I keep it ready to go. But as far as really going to town, this was the first time,” Arklin said.
He said he was just honored to be a part of the system and it was a celebration of the fact that the helipod worked smoothly.
