Urban fires can mean long trips for helicopters to get water. One firefighter had a better idea
apnews.com
Retired firefighter Mark Whaling knows firsthand what it’s like to wait on a helicopter to refill on water while he's battling a blaze on the ground.
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The original was posted on /r/upliftingnews by /u/do-un-to on 2025-05-23 18:58:38+00:00.

… the Heli-Hydrant, a relatively small, open tank that can be rapidly filled with water, enabling helicopters to fill up faster for urban fires rather than flying to sometimes distant lakes or ponds.

First used for the 2020 Blue Ridge Fire in Yorba Linda, 10 Heli-Hydrants have been built across Southern California and 16 more are in progress, according to Whaling.