Everything you need to know about the water drops in California during wildfires

Firefighters in California are battling the historic fires from the sky using a variety of effective and specialized aircraft that dump water and fire retardant over Los Angeles.

The state’s fleet includes tactical planes, air tankers and helicopters. All have specific roles and capabilities but work together as a unit to combat the fires that have been raging since Tuesday and have claimed 10 lives and torched tens of thousands of acres. 

According to Cal Fire’s website, the fleet’s more than 60 planes and helicopters make it the largest department-owned fleet of aerial firefighting equipment in the world. Its fleet operates from 14 airfields and 11 helicopter bases across the state that can reach most fires within about 20 minutes.

POWER GRID FAULTS SURGED RIGHT BEFORE LOS ANGELES WILDFIRES BEGAN: EXPERT

Tactical planes often lead tanker planes, with the former providing directions and coordinates to the tankers and firefighters on the ground. According to Reuters, most of Cal Fire’s tactical planes are North American Rockwell OV-10 twin-turboprop, multi-mission aircraft that served with the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force until the 1990s.

Cal Fire’s fleet of tankers then drops fire retardant onto the terrain below. 

The Grumman S-2T tanker, with its two turboprop engines, is the agency’s workhorse and can hold about 1,200 gallons of fire retardant. Cal Fire also operates larger C-130 Hercules four-engine turboprop aircraft, which can dump about 3,000 gallons per load. 

Cal Fire owns a fleet of helicopters, including Bell UH-1H Super Hueys and Sikorsky S70i Black Hawk helicopters. These helicopters can each carry water in buckets hanging below the aircraft to douse the flames.

John Mixson, a retired U.S. Coast Guard helicopter search and rescue aircraft commander, told Fox News Digital the buckets, known as bambi buckets, can drop water accurately.

"They can get to any lake or reservoir, and they're able to lower the bucket down into the water and then pinpoint deliver their payload. So, it's a little more accurate than the fixed wing, but it's a little less in quantity of either suppressant or water," Mixson said. 

"The helicopters can carry enough water to put out fires, of course, depending on the size of the fire. They also can saturate the ground to prevent fire from spreading. The buckets range in size due to the capacity of the helicopter carrying them, some only 70-ish gallons, some more than 2,000 gallons."

HELP PEOPLE AFFECTED BY THE CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES HERE

Two Canadair CL-415 Super Scooper turboprop planes have also been deployed to battle the deadly infernos.

The Pentagon said Friday that two military C-130 Hercules aircraft equipped with a firefighting system are now on the scene, according to Military.com.

Six more C-130 airplanes are expected to be ready by Sunday. Some of the aircraft had to be refitted with firefighting systems because they were being used for cargo purposes. The fires have come outside the traditional firefighting season.

The scooper planes refill by descending to calm waters and skimming the water’s surface to load their tanks. They then release the water to douse a blaze and repeat the process until they need to refuel.

Super Scoopers have been loading up with saltwater from the Pacific Ocean, although this is fairly rare and typically avoided because it can damage equipment, infrastructure and wildlife, Frank Papalia, a former New York City Fire Department lieutenant and a fire safety expert at Global Security Group, told Fox News Digital.

Freshwater, whenever possible, is preferred because salt content is corrosive and can damage equipment like hoses and pumps.

ESSENTIAL PHONE NUMBERS FOR LOS ANGELES-AREA RESIDENTS AND HOW YOU CAN HELP

"In this case, your city is burning to the ground, so using the saltwater is not that bad," he told Fox News Digital. 

Additionally, fire hydrants don't use saltwater because they are not corrosion-resistant, but firetrucks can use saltwater. They just have to be close enough to get it and require thorough cleaning afterward. 

Fire retardant isn’t dumped directly onto the fires. Instead, the chemical is dropped in front of a fire, directing its course or slowing its advance and giving ground crews a chance to control or extinguish it. Retardants can also be released to protect homes or important sites and to keep access roads open.

The substance is typically made of a mixture of water, fertilizer, a thickening agent and red dye. The red dye is added so firefighters can see the retardant against the landscape.

CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES RAGE INTO FIFTH CONSECUTIVE DAY WITH DEATH TOLL CLIMBING, FRESH EVACUATIONS

The pilots who man these aircraft are known as aerial firefighting pilots, or waterbombers. 

Mixon says pilots are from different backgrounds, but many previously served in the military. 

They typically have to undergo specific training on their respective type of aircraft to handle their unique capabilities and systems. Most aerial firefighting pilots already have years of experience flying before they ever take to the skies in a firefighting aircraft.

According to Hillsboro Aero Academy, an Oregon-based flight school, becoming a helicopter pilot involves accumulating between 1,500 and 4,000 hours of helicopter flight time as a pilot in command (PIC), a pilot responsible for the safety and operation of an aircraft.

The flight hours equip aspiring pilots with vital knowledge about aircraft systems, mission training and fire behavior, and candidates need to prove they can operate firefighting helicopters in challenging conditions such as mountainous terrain. They also need technical skills to work closely with ground crews and other aircraft during missions and knowledge of how fires spread and how to contain them using aircraft.

The hours are similar for prospective fixed-wing aircraft pilots.

"The crews are all extremely highly trained specifically for the specialized mission," Mixson said. "This isn't a secondary mission for the Cal Fire folks or any of the DOD or Forest Service firefighting folks. Just like the U.S. Coast Guard, they are very, very specialized in what they do.

"It is very hazardous, very challenging, but they're also very, very highly trained, uniquely to the specific task."

One of the most apparent dangers is the low altitude above hilly terrain in high wind conditions, which is what they're battling now, Mixson said.

Mixson pointed out that, through the smoke, these crews must also avoid other aircraft, terrain and everyday hazards such as radio towers.

The strong Santa Ana winds prevented firefighting aircraft from being deployed earlier this week due to safety risks.

Meanwhile, a drone smashed into one of the Canadian Super Scoopers, too. The impact left a fist-sized hole in the water, dropping the aircraft’s wing. No injuries have been reported. Cal Fire said it expects the plane to be back in the air by Monday.

Reuters contributed to this report.