1960s LOS ANGELES COUNTY FIRE FIGHTING AIRCRAFT VS. WILDFIRE FIREBRAKE RETARDANT DROPS SM10605

Year Published: 1960s

Description:

Dating to the 1960s, this silent footage shows a large wildfire and then what appears to be the Los Angeles County Fire Department (or the Forest Service and private contractors) fighting the fire with fixed wing aircraft. The film shows crews breaking open bags of a product called "Firebrake®" and preparing it for air drop. Versions of this product, known as Firebrake® ZB and Firebrake® 500, are still sold to this day. Firebrake is a zinc borate flame retardant product introduced by U.S. Borax in the 1960s, which could be dropped from aircraft to slow the spread of a wildfire.

Highlights include:

00:00: Images of an intense wildfire and structure fire as seen at night
9:10: bags of Firebrake being processed by ground crew. (Note the dust and the lack of any respiratory safety gear.)
10:30: Grumman TBM Avenger #65 being used as a water dropping aircraft
11:38: a mechanical saw is used to quickly split a bag of Firebrake so that it can be dumped into a hopper and mixed with water, and put aboard an aircraft
12:23: Another TBM marked "08" on the nose is shown.
15:05: hundreds of bags of Firebrake shown in storage.
15:38: Consolidated PBY Flying Boat being used as a water dropping aircraft.
17:36: PBY flying boat taxis for takeoff
18:00: TBM Avenger makes a water drop / Firebrake drop
19:33: a twin engine aircraft, probably a B-25 Mitchell based on the tail, makes a drop
19:43: a four engined aircraft, probably a Douglas C-54 Skymaster
20:54: a thank you sign from local residents is visible from the air
21:38: an Aetna Insurance Co. helicopter, appears to be an Aérospatiale Alouette II / Republic Aviation Lark conversion
21:48: Uh-19 Chickasaw helicopter in Forest Service livery
23:37: Air evacuation of an injured patient aboard a Bell helicopter in Sheriff Department livery