It's Just A Drill, Calabasas: Helicopters To Swarm Santa Monicas

CALABASAS, CA — Don't be alarmed, Calabasas residents. The invasion of helicopters over the Santa Monica Mountains Tuesday afternoon is just a drill.

The helicopter drill conducted by the Los Angeles County Fire Department and Orange County Fire Authority is slated to begin at 4 ap.m. and last into the evening. The series of drills in the Santa Monica Mountains is designed to prepare the firefighting crews to better confront large-scale wildfires in the region while working together. As catastrophic wildfires bombard the state, agencies are increasingly dependant on mutual aid to battle the massive blazes.

The day drill will begin at 4 p.m. in Topanga and the evening drill scheduled in Malibu will involve the world's largest helicopter-tanker, a Boeing CH-47 Chinook, a heavy-lift aircraft with the capacity to release 3,000 gallons of water with each drop, according to fire commanders.

The drills are part of the Expedited Resource Response Plan Pilot Program, a joint effort coordinated by L.A. County Fire Chief Daryl Osby and OCFA Chief Brian Fennessy.

"It is important and vital that we continue to partner with our peers to provide each other with critically needed air and ground resources that are essential at a moment's notice, especially during large-scale wildfire events when lives and property are threatened," Osby said. "We continue to learn and grow from past and present wildfire incidents, such as the Woolsey, Lake, and Bobcat fires.

"With wildfires increasing in intensity and size, we must all work together to be prepared and best strategize how to bolster our ability to protect communities when they need us the most."

City News Service and Patch staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.