A Carson Helicopters S-61N Fire King being fueled during helitack (firefighting using helicopters) operations in Southern River, Western Australia. The word "helitack", a portmanteau of helicopter and attack, first appeared in a 1956 Los Angeles Times article describing a series of tests by the Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD). Helicopters had been used in combating wildfires in California as early as 1947, and the LACoFD established the first helitack crew in 1957.Photo: Gnangarra