Firefighters need all the help they can get and every minute counts when faced with a catastrophe like the Palisades and Eaton fires that caused mass devastation in January.

Los Angeles County Fire Department helicopters have the capability to fill a 1,000-gallon tank with water from a “dip tank” and within minutes use it to combat a nearby fire.

Metropolitan Water District unveiled the new helicopter dip tank on Wednesday, Nov. 19, in Rolling Hills Estates.

The nearly 4,000-gallon tank at the Palos Verdes Reservoir, part of the Metropolitan’s water delivery system, can be refilled in five minutes. The Los Angeles County Fire Department gave aerial demonstrations at the unveiling on Wednesday.

Rolling Hills Estates Mayor Debby Stegura said they were “celebrating yet another step forwar

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