An Orange County Fire Authority contract for a multi-agency fleet of firefighting aircraft has expired, drawing criticism from the outgoing fire chief, even as other officials tied to the program argue it shouldn’t have an impact on the amount of resources available to rapidly battle large-scale wildfires.
At issue is the Quick Reaction Force, a partnership between OCFA, Southern California Edison and the Los Angeles and Ventura County fire departments dating back to 2022 that includes several helitankers and helicopters meant to quickly extinguish potentially dangerous fires before they can grow out of control.
Exactly what the expiration of OCFA’s part of the program means — and whether OCFA can still rejoin the partnership — is unclear.
Outgoing OCFA Chief Brian Fennessy — who was instrumental in the creation of the partnership — publicly criticized what he claimed was the OCFA board of directors’ failure to vote on renewing the contract before it expired on Jan. 1.
In a statement reported by CBS News — but which OCFA did not provide to SCNG — Fennessy indicated he was “extremely disappointed” at the expiration of the contract with the Quick Reaction Force, which he described as “the world’s first 24/7 nocturnal wildfire aerial task force” and “the most effective asset in the history of wildland firefighting.”
Fennessy retired from OCFA at the turn of the new year, after tentatively accepting a position with the newly created United States Wildland Fire Service.
OCFA Board Chair Phil Bacerra denied that he and the other elected officials on the board intentionally allowed the contract with the Quick Reaction Force program to lapse. Bacerra, a Santa Ana councilman, said in previous years the contract was discussed by their budget and finance committee before being considered by the full board of directors. But Bacerra said this year, OCFA staff pulled the item off their November agendas, despite the board not traditionally holding meetings in December due to the difficulty in reaching a quorum during the holidays.
“I will be meeting with Acting Fire Chief TJ McGovern soon to discuss any potential upcoming actions to be considered by the OCFA Board of Directors regarding the Quick Reaction Force item,” Bacerra said in a statement.
Asked about his predecessor’s statement, McGovern — who took over as Acting Fire Chief of OCFA on Jan. 2 — said he had nothing to add to Fennessy’s comments about the Quick Reaction Force.
But McGovern noted that OCFA has its own four-aircraft fleet — including two 1,000-gallon dropping Firehawk helicopters added in 2024 — that is used in conjunction with the department’s air operations division and their on-the-ground firefighters and hand crews to “provide a high-quality response that keeps our communities well protected during wildfires.”
“Moving forward, my focus will remain on continuity of operations, firefighter safety, transparency, and ensuring our personnel are fully equipped, trained, and supported to uphold and enhance the high standards of service expected and warranted across OCFA’s 23 cities and unincorporated areas of Orange County,” McGovern said.
Meanwhile, there was no immediate indication that any parts of the Quick Reaction Force fleet would be moved out of Southern California. Officials with SCE — which provides funding for the program — said there are ongoing contracts with the Los Angeles and Ventura county fire departments related to the Quick Reaction Force. Without an OCFA contract, those two other fire agencies would decide how to use the helicopters.
“These assets remain available across our entire service area,” said Scott Johnson, an Edison spokesman. “From an Edison standpoint, we have a wildfire mitigation plan.”
Fire agencies across Southern California and beyond operate under a variety of mutual aid agreements in which resources — including helicopters — are commonly shared in the face of dangerous or fast-moving wildfires to try to extinguish the blazes before they can grow out of control or threaten life or property.
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