Fire Department Requests New Helicopter, Heliport

LOS ANGELES — The city Fire Department needs new helicopters and a new heliport, expanded training and additional staffing that would cost the city $54 million over five years, according to a department report.

The city Fire Commission on Wednesday approved the final report in concept. It was developed by a working group assembled after a March 1998 helicopter crash that killed three crew members and a girl. The group did not specifically examine that crash but instead conducted a wider assessment of the Fire Department’s air operations activities.

Many of the report’s specific recommendations will return to the Fire Commission for additional review and then would be considered by the mayor’s office and the City Council before any decisions are made on financing.

The report suggests that the Fire Department spend $7.8 million this year to begin phasing in such proposals as training, adding staff and purchasing equipment. The report found that the Fire Department’s staffing is unsatisfactory, leading to longer-than-necessary response times for medical helicopters and paramedics, and that equipment needs upgrading or replacement.

The working group recommended that the department modify the number and type of aircraft it uses, as well as the number of assigned pilots in its fleet. In addition, the group suggests that the department build a new heliport because the facility at the Van Nuys Airport was found to be unsatisfactory.